Work Text:
Summer wasn't so bad when you had the ice cold air of the icebox to keep the warmth away. On another note, Carol was almost out of Strawberry Swirls.
"Lieutenant Trouble, can you add those guys to the list?" Carol asked as she continued to assess her stock, almost half of her body inside the icebox.
Monica jumped off the metal container she'd been using as a seat the entire afternoon and went over to the piece of paper pinned to the side of the fridge. She wrote down the specific ice cream then went back to her seat. Carol continued to rearrange her stocks while Monica picked up her phone and started playing once again.
"Excuse me?"
Carol tried to stand up and knocked her head over the plastic frame of the display case. She groaned painfully while Monica giggled behind her. Carol moved out and quickly glared at the ten-year-old, then looked back at her client. A tall, very good-looking man was standing on the other side of the truck's counter. He was shirtless, his hair and beard still wet from his swim in the ocean, sunglasses on his nose, holding a crumpled bill in his hand and looking very embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Carol waved off his comment, rubbing the back of her head and willing the pain away.
"It's okay, I'll live. What can I get you?"
The man's embarrassing expression turned into a bright, charming smile.
"I'll have a bottle of water and this ice cream, please," he asked, pointing to the image on the billboard beside the truck as an excited five-year-old would.
Carol picked up the ice cream out of the icebox, the bottle from the fridge, and placed them both on the counter.
"That'll be $6,98."
He placed the wrinkled ten dollar bill on the counter and picked up his order.
"Keep the change," he added with a wink before walking away.
Carol shrugged and took the bill. She attempted to smooth it out, but the man had done an awesome job at crumpling it in the first place, and once placed in the cash register with the others, it stuck out awkwardly. She closed off the register and looked over the beach.
It was a busy day for late May, but then again it had been raining for the past week, so she couldn't blame so many people for wanting to go for a swim, even if the water was probably freezing. When Carol had agreed to take over the ice cream truck for a friend over the summer, she hadn't imagined the level of organization this whole endeavor would require. Thankfully, Monica was far more organized that she was, and the ten-year-old loved spending her Saturday in the truck with her since it meant she could have free sodas and ice creams whenever she wanted.
Carol's eyes found the back of the man she'd just served. He would have disappeared in the crowd if he weren't so tall. She saw him sit down on a towel, halfway to the tide. Another towel was laid beside his, then two surfing boards had been dug in the sand, partially blocking the sun.
"Was he flirting with you?" Monica asked suddenly without looking from her phone.
Carol turned around, shock written all over her features.
"Why would you... Does it even matter? He's not my type."
"Yeah but I think you're his type," Monica replied.
She jumped off the box and came to stand behind the counter beside Carol. She was just tall enough to see above the counter.
"Why else would he give you the change?"
"People don't always give you tips because they're flirting, you know? Plus I bumped my head on the display case because of him, he probably felt bad."
"Yeah but he winked."
Carol shook her head in disbelief.
"Let's not go there, okay? He's not my type, and look, he's probably with someone else already. Now you tell your mom to stop worrying about me."
Monica scanned the crowd until she found the man from before, laying on his towel.
"Mom will never stop worrying about you. She said it's like she has two kids and you are a fourteen-year-old or something like that."
Carol gasped in shock.
"Am not!"
Monica giggled. Carol pulled out her tongue at Monica jokingly, making the girl laugh even more.
"What time is it even?" Carol then asked as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
She checked the time then pocketed her phone again to look back at the beach. Her heart stopped completely when she saw a woman emerging out of the water like a goddess out of the waves. She was wearing black swim trunks and bikini top, leaving all of her well-sculpted muscles on display. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail. Drops of water seemed to cascade in slow motion down her dark skin. Or maybe it was just Carol's brain restarting.
Carol's eyes followed the woman as she brushed a few locks of hair out of her face, walked out of the water completely, avoided a couple of towels laying on the sand, and fell stomach first in her towel, right beside the tall man from before. Carol felt something small breaking in her heart. She pulled her eyes away from the woman and cleared her throat. Then, she went back to doing her inventory, going through the fridge to check on how many sodas they had left.
Monica watched her aunt do with confusion. Carol had suddenly stared at something in the distance, and she'd seemed completely frozen. Then, as if someone had dropped a buck of ice-cubes on her, she'd suddenly woken up and started moving again. Monica looked in the distance, but she couldn't see anything interesting. After another minute of searching, Monica discarded the behavior altogether, thinking it was just Carol acting weird again, as usual. She went back to her seat and started playing on her phone again.
Carol was completely absorbed by the content of the fridge, yet she wasn't doing anything besides moving a few bottles here and there. Her brain was completely focused on replaying the woman walking out of the water, and then crashing on her towel, right next to the man. A good-looking man. Her boyfriend, Carol assumed. She was so focused on faking the inventory that she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around quickly. It was the man from before, looking at her with uncertainty.
"Did I startle you again?" he asked.
"No!" Carol defended herself quickly. "I mean, no, it's okay. I was just in the bottles."
She cleared her throat, closed off the fridge and walked up to the counter. Behind her, Monica was watching the interaction with interest.
"Sorry, what can I get you?"
"Well, my friend ate my ice cream, so I was wondering if I could have another. I'll pay for it, of course!" he added quickly, showing off another crumpled bill.
Carol looked over at the woman and saw her seated on her towel, bitting down on the ice cream cone. She'd put sunglasses on, but in that position and under that particular angle, Carol could only stare at the woman's arms and neck. She somehow managed to snap herself out of it, but not before the man could notice how the blonde ice cream vendor was staring at his friend.
Carol cleared her throat and asked:
"And you let her?"
"Of course, that's what friends are for! Plus she can be very scary when she wants to. Once she beat me at arm wrestling and I never dared to challenge her again since."
Carol stared at the man's arms, which would have put a lot of men's arms to shame. Then, she went through the icebox and pulled out another wrapped cone for the man.
"One Raspberry Swirl, here you go."
He handed her the five dollar bill and walked away again, without waiting for his change. Carol shrugged and went to place the bill in the cash register.
In truth, Carol had completely forgotten about the goddess and the weird man who was afraid of her. Until a week later, when they both showed up again at the beach. Monica was still occupying that same spot in a corner of the truck, Carol was refilling the fridge after the midday rush. Monica saw them first when she looked up from her phone. The man and woman were back, wearing swim trunks and rash vests, each with a surfboard tugged under their arm. The beach was a bit less crowded than the previous week, and Monica watched as they settled their towels and the woman tied her hair back.
"Hey, he's back," Monica noted.
"Who's back?"
"The weird flirty guy from last week."
Carol shrugged Monica's comment off, since unbeknown to the girl, men flirted with her all day long, every day of the week. Carol had absolutely no idea who her niece was referring to. She filled up the fridge with as many soda cans as she could, then closed the fridge and rubbed the cold moisture off her hands on her jean shorts. Then, she turned around and followed Monica's line of sight. Just then, she saw the woman from the previous week emerging from the water and coming to pick up her board. The rash vest was molding her upper body for everyone to see, Carol included.
"The weird guy who was super afraid of his friend," Monica explained.
"Oh, yeah," Carol replied with a shrug, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.
She turned around and picked up the empty cardboard boxes to throw them out of the truck, and bring them to the nearest recycling bin. Her shoes sank lightly into the sand as she made her way over. Then she turned around, her eyes founding the increasingly growing waves. The woman and her friend were just dots over the horizon, disappearing under and over waves and resurfacing a few seconds later. She stayed there for a few minutes, observing them from a distance. The man was the first to be overturned by a wave, and he emerged near the shore a few seconds later, rubbing the water out of his face. The woman was still waiting for a good wave, and when she finally caught it, she managed to stay on her board and ride almost to the shore without being overturned.
"Auntie Carol!"
Monica's voice pierced through the fog of her thoughts. The girl was standing at the edge of the truck, head sticking out of the door.
"Someone asked me for ice cream but I can't reach it!"
Carol trotted back to the truck hurriedly.
The rush of snack-time had come and gone, leaving Carol once again with less than half the ice creams she'd arrived with. She decided to wait for another hour before taking inventory. It wasn't five thirty yet, more people could have decided to wait for after the crowd of people had dispersed to come over. Monica had helped her during the rush, as usual, and she was now back on the box, finishing her own multicolor Popsicle.
Carol phone rang in her pocket and Carol pulled it out of the back-pocket of shorts. It was Maria.
"It's your mom."
Carol picked up and placed the phone to her ear. Slowly, she made her way out of the truck and hid behind it, so no one would come to bother her while she was on the phone.
"Hey! Sorry, we're out of ice cream sandwiches already, but I can stop to the supermarket on my back to buy you some?"
Maria's answer wasn't playful or annoyed like Carol had anticipated. Instead, she sighed.
"I'm sorry Carol but I'm stuck at work, they want me for a night shift."
Carol stuffed her empty hand in her pocket and nodded.
"Okay. Do I bring Monica to your parents or do I keep her for the night?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Of course not, you know I love spending time with her. Just come pick her up tomorrow after you get some rest, okay?"
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I didn't have any plans for tonight anyway! We'll see you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Carol, you're the best!"
"I know, I know. Just be careful when you drive home, okay?"
"Will do. Thank you again. See you tomorrow!"
"Good luck with the work!"
Carol hung up and placed the phone back in her pocket. She climbed back into the truck, about to turn to Monica, when she noticed the little girl was talking to a customer over the counter, the man from the previous week, who smiled at her when she walked in.
Almost as soon as Carol had left the truck, the weird man, as Monica had come to dub him, had walked up to the front window. It was a coincidence, really, and it didn't work in his favor. He wanted to talk to the blonde. Instead, he found the girl from last week, who jumped off her seat to come up to him.
"Hello sir, what can I get you?" she asked politely.
"Aren't you a bit young to sell ice cream in a truck?" he asked jokingly.
She shrugged.
"Who's to say I don't get to eat all the leftovers?"
He laughed then leaned a bit closer to the counter.
"The blonde woman, is she your mom?"
"She's kind of like my mom. My mom works at the airport, so she watches over me on weekends."
"Do you think she would be interested in my friend over there?" he asked, pointing to his friend who was reclined on her towel, her rash vest discarded some time ago.
Monica shrugged.
"Depends. Does she like cats?"
The man frowned in somewhat confusion.
"I don't know."
"Well if she doesn't like Star Wars, food, and fast cars, they're not going to get along."
"She likes some of those things. At least I'm pretty sure she does."
The man looked back to his friend, then back to Monica.
"Do you want to help me set them up?"
Monica crossed her arms, uncertain.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, you know?"
"My name is Thor, and my friend wants people to call her Valkyrie."
Monica frowned.
"Why Valkyrie?"
"Because she doesn't like her real name, she thinks it's stupid."
Monica giggled, then whispered:
"What is it?"
"I don't know," Thor whispered back, "but I bet it's not that bad and she's just pretending."
Monica looked back at Valkyrie, with her sunglasses and her muscles, and she could certainly see the woman pretending to hate her first name just to give herself a style.
"I'm Monica. Her name's Carol, by the way."
"It's nice to meet you, Monica. Do you want to help me?"
"What do I have to do?"
"Just give them a bit of time to talk. I'll find a way to send Val over."
Monica nodded. Just then, the truck shook as Carol stepped back in. Thor looked over at Carol and smiled.
"Hey! Did I surprise you this time?" he joked.
"I'm surprised Monica isn't serving you right now," Carol replied, looking pointedly at the girl.
"Oh, it's not her fault. She was trying to convince me that Raspberry Swirls are not as good as I think, and Strawberry Vanilla is better, or whatever."
"Yeah," Monica added quickly, jumping in the conversation. "Raspberry is so acid, it's not good for your teeth and all. That's what my dentist said anyway."
"So I think she changed my mind," Thor continued. "I'll take an apple juice and come back later once I'm really sure I want a Raspberry Swirl, or whatever other ice creams you sale in this esteemed establishment."
Carol's eyes went from the man to Monica, and back to the man, trying to figure out what these two had really been talking about. After another second, she gave up and took a bottle out of the fridge. She placed it on the counter.
"$3,99," she said quickly.
"Of course."
He placed the crumpled dollar bill on the counter and waited for his change this time, trying and failing to look as inconspicuous as possible. Once he had his things he smiled again.
"Thank you. I'll be back for ice cream," he added.
"Don't waste too much time," Carol warned. "We're running low on stock."
"Got it."
He trotted away and Carol instantly turned around to look at Monica, who had gone back to her seat.
"What were you two talking about? Really talking about?"
Monica shrugged and took her phone out of her pocket.
"His friend, you know, the woman he's super afraid of?"
"And?"
Monica shrugged.
"And she's his friend, and people call her Valkyrie."
"Really?"
Monica nodded. Carol leaned over the counter to look back at the man who'd returned to his towel. She couldn't see the woman, hidden behind his large frame. She sighed and glanced at her phone. Time for another inventory, she decided.
She was chest deep in the icebox once again when she heard someone calling for her attention.
"Excuse me?"
Once again, Carol tried to stand up with her head still in the display case, and she met plastic quite forcefully. She winced and groaned and stepped away.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing... Just..."
Carol rubbed the back of her head and looked up. Her brown eyes met dark brown ones. She was speechless. It was the woman. The woman. Standing right on the other side of the counter, looking up at her with slight worry, though Carol could see in her eyes she was trying to hold her laughter in. To Carol's surprise, she was smaller than she'd thought. And Carol had definitely not imagined her muscles. Carol's mouth fell open as if trying to say something. She would have probably remained like so longer, but Monica came to stand beside her and hit her with her elbow. She was too small to reach her ribs and hit Carol's waist instead.
"I'm okay," Carol finally decided. "What can I get you?"
"I don't know. You got anything other than Raspberry Swirl?"
Carol nodded.
"Of course! Though we ran out of a lot of our stock... If you want a Swirl, it's either raspberry or blueberry."
The woman crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"Blueberry? That's a thing now?"
"For the month anyway."
The woman gave an inquisitive look at Carol who explained:
"They're making LGBTQA+ themed ice creams for June."
"And you're okay with that?" the woman asked, somewhat vexed.
Carol shrugged.
"Usually I wouldn't be. But this particular company has been giving tons of money to LGBTQA+ associations for a while now and all the profit on these cones are going to charity. So yeah, I don't mind selling these."
The woman looked at Carol once again, surprised.
"And the blueberry one?"
"I think it's supposed to be call Bi-berry?"
Carol pulled out the cone out of the icebox. Its wrapper was red, purple and blue, imitating the bisexual flag. The woman chuckled.
"Fine, I'll take it. How much?"
"Oh... It's... on the house?"
The woman frowned in surprise.
"Really? Why?"
Carol shrugged, desperately trying to find an excuse.
"It's the end of the day..."
The woman continued to stare at Carol, trying to figure out why she was suddenly giving her a free cone. Finally, she gave up and picked up the ice cream off the counter.
"Thanks."
"My pleasure," Carol replied with a bright smile. "Now you can tell your friend Bi-berry's the best. I mean blueberry," she added quickly.
"I know," the woman replied with a wink before she turned around and returned to her towel.
Carol watched her go, then looked away quickly when the woman looked back. Beside her, Monica continued to stare. Carol moved away, fiddling with her phone.
"So, tipping isn't flirting, but giving free ice cream definitely is, right?" the girl asked.
Carol groaned and refused to answer.
This routine continued for a while, as every Saturday Thor would come to the truck first and struck up a conversation with Carol and Monica, before returning to his towel. An hour or so later, Valkyrie would, in turn, show up at the truck, and no matter how much Carol tried, she never seemed to be able to make it through the conversation without humiliating herself, or so she thought. Valkyrie would always take the Blueberry Swirl and insisted on paying, just in case Carol tried to give her for free again. Carol found out that Valkyrie was the one who crumbled all of her bills into tiny, impossible to smooth balls. Thor had been using her money to buy things at Carol's truck, thought Valkyrie never complained that he told her to keep the change, and soon enough, she was doing the same.
June was almost over, and Carol was expecting more and more people at the beach for the next two months. She was closing up shop when there was a knock on the truck's back door.
"I'm here to pick up a little ice cream monster."
Monica jumped off her seat and protested:
"I'm not little!"
"Well, you're the smallest of the three of us," Carol explained as she closed off the window over the counter.
She rubbed her hands together and looked over at the back door with a smile. Maria was standing just outside, moving aside to let Monica jump down.
"How was today?"
"We ran out of chocolate magnum way too quickly, but besides that, a good day."
Carol made sure everything was secured before she jumped out of the truck as well, and locked up the back door.
"Are you coming home for dinner?" Monica asked quickly.
Carol looked over at Maria, then nodded.
"Sure. Let me just bring this big baby home, then I'll be right there."
Monica and Maria returned to Maria's car and drove home, while Carol drove the truck back to its parking spot. There, she switched the truck for her motorbike and drove quickly to the Rambeau's household. She placed her bike in the garage, which Maria had purposefully left open for her, then closed it off behind her and went through the kitchen door.
Maria had already started cooking, though a glance at the clock told Carol that it would probably be something quick and simple.
"Need any help?" Carol suggested.
"Yeah, I need you to stay as far away from the kitchen as possible."
Carol rolled her eyes. Sure, she was a terrible cook who could burn a lot of things, but Monica had decided she was cursed and her simple presence in the kitchen was enough to curse the entire meal, which would inevitably burn. The idea had caught on pretty quickly, and now all of Carol's friends knew to keep her out of the kitchen as much as possible.
"I've got beer in the fridge," Maria then added.
"I can work with that."
Carol opened the fridge and pulled out two beer bottles. She opened them quickly and handed one to Maria. Maria checked the slowly heating water before she moved away from the stove and leaned against the nearest counter.
"So, do you want to talk about her?" Maria asked.
Carol frowned.
"Who?"
"Monica keeps telling me about this woman who comes by every week. She is, and I quote my daughter on this one 'a very pretty woman with awesome muscles who even scares big guys even though she's super small'."
"She's not super small," Carol countered quickly.
Maria raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on her lips, and Carol drank to stop herself from blurting out any other stupidity.
"Monica also told me you're always staring at her and she winks at you every time she walks away."
Carol sighed.
"So there might have been some flirting..."
"And?"
"And what? What am I supposed to do? I can't just give her my number with her change or something?"
Maria shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Wouldn't it be weird?"
Maria sighed. Carol had always been the more clueless between the two of them.
"Just try it, what do you have to lose?"
"A very good client?"
"I bet there are dozens of people who come back to buy your ice creams every week."
"Yeah, but she..."
Again, Carol drowned the words in her throat with beer. Across from her, Maria chuckled.
"You're so into her, Danvers."
"That's cause you don't have to see her in a swimsuit every week. You would know my struggle if you did."
The next Saturday finally rolled around. Carol had been trying to motivate herself all week. This was the right moment. Monica was staying with her mom because Maria had the day off, so Monica wouldn't be here to interfere. She had everything planned. She was ready, or at least, she hoped she was.
As usual, Thor came first, ordering his usual water bottle and Raspberry Swirl.
"Hey, Carol!" he greeted her as he came up to the truck. "How are things going?"
"The usual. I can't take a toe out of the truck until eight or the thermal shock would probably kill me."
Thor chuckled and handed her the crumpled dollar bill, which she inevitably and uselessly tried to smooth.
"Can't you bring your own money?" Carol joked.
"No, I like to see Val's face when I tell her I told you to keep the change."
Carol rolled her eyes.
"Plus I'm buying pizzas later tonight, which are more expansive than ice cream."
Thor picked up his order and said:
"Keep the change."
He smiled and left the truck, returning to his towel. Carol leaned over the counter to look at the beach, feeling the uncomfortable hot air sipping into the vehicle through the window. This week was calmer than previous ones, but then again, the 4th of July had been two days ago, and she had exhausted her stocks. She supposed a lot of the locals had gone to the beach then, and wouldn't come back today.
As usual, Valkyrie emerged from the waves a few minutes later. She always seemed to be putting on a show, as if she knew Carol was watching. She probably did, as Carol could swear the other woman actually looked at her and winked, though the blonde was too far to be absolutely sure. She had hawk-like eyes, but the air was so hot it made everything slightly blurry.
The four p. m. rush started soon after, and Carol had little to no time to think about Valkyrie. Not until she exhausted the line of people desperate for a Popsicle, and found Valkyrie herself standing at the end.
"Hey!" Carol greeted her, her voice suddenly shaking and breaking halfway through the one-syllable word.
Carol cleared her throat and continued, her voice somewhat more steady:
"What can I get you today?"
"You don't have Blueberry anymore, do you?" Valkyrie asked.
"Actually..."
Carol opened the icebox and searched under the pile of Raspberry Swirl. There, she'd kept a single Bi-berry Swirl, hidden from view, for almost a week.
"I set it aside for you," Carol explained. "It's the last one I have, though. Sorry."
Valkyrie was shocked for a moment, and for the first time since Carol had met her, she was the one who was speechless.
"Or maybe you want something else?" Carol suggested quickly, just in case she'd misinterpreted Valkyrie's likings for blueberry ice cream.
"No, it's... Thanks, I'll take it."
She handed the bill quickly, so Carol wouldn't give her the cone for free. Carol's heart was pounding in her chest. This was it, this was the moment. She went over to the cash register and Valkyrie quickly said:
"Just keep the change."
Carol pursed her lips. There was a small piece of paper she'd kept hidden in the register for almost a week now. On it, her name and phone number were written down. She took it out of the register then turned toward Valkyrie, who was looking at her curiously. Carol had thought of so many dumb jokes and pick-up lines she would use before giving her the paper. She wanted to be smooth at it, confident. Instead, she gave Valkyrie the paper with a slightly trembling hand and her eyes almost closed.
Valkyrie took it and looked it over. Then, she chuckled:
"Is that it? You were trying to bribe me with ice cream?"
Carol's eyes grew wide in surprise. That was not the answer she had anticipated.
"What? No! No, of course not!"
"I'm just messing with you, relax!" Valkyrie replied with a sly smile. "When do you close up shop?"
"Seven thirty?" Carol replied as if she wasn't so sure of herself anymore.
"See you then," Valkyrie declared with a wink before walking away.
Carol was frozen in place for a moment. She did it. And Valkyrie said, well it wasn't yes but it was something. Carol snapped out of it when more customers approached the truck, and she was right back to work.
The sun was still some ways away from the horizon, but by the time Carol closed off her truck the air had considerably cooled. Still, jumping out of the air-conditioned truck and into the summer evening was very uncomfortable. Carol looked around. Valkyrie was nowhere to be seen. Carol grimaced. Maybe she'd had a change of plan. Carol chastised herself. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.
The sound of a loud engine caught Carol's attention. A motorbike came to park at the edge of the beach's parking lot. It was white and polished, even more than Carol's own bike, which was saying something with how often Carol actually polished her precious bike. Once the motor was cut off, Carol realized who was driving. Valkyrie climbed off and took off her helmet. Her hair was still damp, braided behind her back. She'd changed out of her swimsuit and into Bermuda shorts and a tank top, with a light leather jacket thrown on top of it. She took off her jacket almost as soon as she climbed off the bike.
"I hope I didn't make you wait too long, Thor was hogging the bathroom again."
Carol smiled, all of her dark thoughts completely forgotten.
"Nah, I just finished for today. You want some ice cream?"
Valkyrie chuckled.
"Seriously?"
"Bonus of being the boss, I get to give free ice creams."
Valkyrie shrugged.
"I'm okay, but thanks."
"Suit yourself."
Carol climbed back into the truck and picked up the first thing she could get her hands on, a Raspberry Swirl. Then, she sat down on the edge of the truck's back-door and patted the space beside her.
"Come on, sit with me. I bet you didn't come back all this way just to stand and look at me."
"Actually I did, but can you blame me?"
Carol chuckled and decided the heat rising in her cheeks was because of the hot air and not Valkyrie's compliment. She opened her ice cream and dug in quickly. She was famished, though as she indulged she could distinctively hear Maria's voice in her mind telling her 'If you eat ice cream now, you won't be hungry for dinner'. Valkyrie sat down on the back of the truck with her, leaving barely an inch between the two of them.
"So you like Raspberry Swirl too?" Valkyrie asked with a laugh in her voice.
Carol winked.
"Just don't tell Monica, she absolutely hates it."
"Monica is that kid always with you, right?"
"Not always. Just on Saturdays when her mom's at work."
Valkyrie nodded in understanding. Then she asked:
"Apparently she told Thor you're like a mom to her."
Carol couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Well, I've taken care of her ever since she was born. She's like a daughter to me too."
"And her mom doesn't mind that?"
Carol shook her head.
"Why would she? I'm not replacing her. I'm the cool aunt who takes care of her when her mom's at work and spoils her. Plus, Maria's my best friend, she and Monica they're the only family I have."
Valkyrie didn't prompt further, thinking it was probably a touchy subject. Carol finished the top of her ice cream and bit into the cone. Then, she swallowed, and continued:
"Actually, it was Maria who told me to give you my number."
"Really?"
"I thought it was a bit weird, but I'm glad I did," Carol said with a bright smile.
Valkyrie stared longly at the blonde. How could someone actually be this cute? Plus, Valkyrie had had the chance to stare at Carol's arms and back muscles at least once a week for a few weeks now, which she assumed meant the blonde was a badass in her own right.
"You sure you don't want ice cream?" Carol prompted again when the conversation died down and she found herself blushing under Valkyrie's scrutiny.
"Actually, I think I'll take a bit of Raspberry Swirl too," Valkyrie decided.
Carol didn't have the time to get up. Valkyrie had leaned toward her and kissed her. Carol's entire being froze for a moment, prompting Valkyrie to move away. Their lips separated for a second before Carol closed the distance between them again. Her free hand rested on Valkyrie's lap, while both of Valkyrie's hands threaded through Carol's hair.
Carol's hand moved to Valkyrie's waist as their kiss deepened, bringing her closer. The ice cream in her other hand started to melt and drip down on her hand, but she didn't even care. She only noticed when they separated, breathing heavily, and even then, it took a few more seconds. First, she stared at Valkyrie as she licked her lips and smiled.
"I think you changed my mind. Raspberry Swirl isn't so bad after all."