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Living forever is not easy. At least it’s not for Carol Danvers.
It had been five years since Carol had seen the one person that, no matter how much time had passed, she kept bumping into. For example, in 1601 Carol was busy watching a theatre company practise. I mean sure, it was at the Globe Theatre, and she had reached out to her friend, but she was never certain if any letters reached them.
These letters were more often than not, quite plain. Carol tried to write as little information in them as to keep the surprised, that she was quite fond of, this one on the other hand, was more detailed. From asking her to dress appropriately, to explaining what they were doing. The letter itself wrote:
”Meet me at the Globe Theatre, London at approximately midday, dress appropriately, as you would for a performance and of course bring yourself. – Carol Danvers”
Her writing tended to be in cursive, yet it was emphasised on her name, each letter being written meticulously and it was obvious that Carol had taken great care in ensuring that she would not mess up.
Carol modestly watched one of the first rehearsal of Shakespeare’s, now popular, Hamlet, she waited impatiently them. As her attention was completely on the actors and their movements, she heard a distinctive voice coming from behind her.
“I thought you said we’d be inconspicuous, blending into the crowd?”
Carol looked to the figure, now at her side, as a delighted expression crossed her face.
“Valkyrie!” she exclaimed before glancing around her and muttering, “that was the idea.”
The two beings had significantly contrasted dress styles, Carol in a beige-coloured dress, her blonde hair in her usual half plaited half down, let loose over her shoulders. Whereas Valkyrie had an almost completely black suit on, her shirt tucked neatly into her trousers, with a waistcoat and blazer, and her hair braided and tied into a ponytail, the detail taken to do it was obvious. If you ever saw the two, you could compare them to an angel and demon, yet their actions and expressions to each other opposed that idea entirely.
Valkyrie, Val, had a soft smile spread across her lips as she watched Carol’s enjoyment at the rehearsal, she could almost call it...
...Cute?
This feeling wasn’t familiar for Val. They never tended to be, yet around Carol these particular emotions popped up more often, it felt disconcerting, she didn’t even know what they meant to her; Did she enjoy spending time with Carol? How did she feel about her? What does this mean? What’s going to happen between the two?
She had never been too fond with going outside, yet every time she forced herself out of bed, she either bumped into the blonde beside her, or was invited out by her. She was never quite sure how Carol managed to get her location right. Every time. Everywhere. It was one question that Valkyrie was sure she would never get an answer for, even if she asked.
Carol on the other hand, had her attention drawn away from the actors and to the taller person beside her, taking in their appearance and letting out a slight sigh, as her eyes trailed around her body, it wasn’t like Carol hadn’t noticed Val’s appearance and how pretty she always was, she had just, never appreciated it completely. Her gaze was completely on Val until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and a few faint words, shaking her out of her trance.
"This isn't one of his gloomy ones, is it? No wonder no one is here!"
Carol released a breathy chuckle before rolling her eyes and Valkyrie’s comment.
“If you’re that bored, I guess we could do something else? We can finally finish our dinner from last time?”
If anyone were to say that Val took time to consider that, she would outright refuse and then promptly walk away. Yet her answer shows otherwise, soft mutters of,
“No, it’s alright Carol, if you want to see this we can, I’ll have to learn how to enjoy it, maybe you could teach me? Either way we would probably get dinner afterwards”
Carol grinned at that and turned her attention back to the actors hearing the words “To be, or not to be” before shouting,
“To be... No! Not to be...” And other small gestures to try and encourage the actors.
Her behaviour made Val’s smile widen at the pure innocence that it radiated.
Carol’s actions may not have completely worked, the actor complaining that he was wasting his time, yet Carol continued to shout encouragements before the actor asked,
“And what about your friend there? What does she think?”
Valkyrie grinned, almost like she enjoyed that question. Her arms behind her back as she simply states,
“I think you should get on with the play.”
Carol couldn’t quite interpret the actor’s new expression, whether it was fright or if he’d just jumped at the tone of Valkyrie’s voice, either way she watched the rest of the rehearsal intently, her attention wasn’t pulled away until the sun started to set. A tender smile appeared on her face, clapping quickly at the actor’s performance before looking up at Valkyrie and speaking,
“I think it’s time we better head off to our meal.”
The two walked briskly to the restaurant. It was a quaint and quiet place situated in a quiet spot in London At least, it was quiet at the time they visited. The interior contained a multitude of tables, able to seat from two, to eight people. Each table was decorated with cutlery and napkins for the customer. The two quickly got seated and settled at a small table, with just enough space for the two if they were situated opposite each other. Carol and Valkyrie were waiting for their drinks when conversation started. Val had decided to question something that had been confusing her for the last couple of decades.
“Carol?”
She paused slightly, but ultimately decided to continue, not wanting to leave anything unfinished,
“Why do you invite me to these things? Surely there are other people who you could spend your time with, that doesn’t appear as a complete contradiction?”
Carol’s breath caught in her throat slightly before smiling, trying to fake some confidence before building up the courage to speak.
Her voice coming out in a demure tone. “I just like your company.”
Val laughed. “You’re lying, why would you like *my* company?”
Carol hummed softly, trying to formulate the words that she felt would correctly describe her feelings,
“Well, I guess you’re in for a surprise then Val. You’re a pleasant person to be around, it feels like a calm breeze passes by when you are near, and trust me... these days, they are hard to come by. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, yes, I do enjoy your company, possibly more than you think.”
As Carol finishes, her face flushes as she feels flustered that she just said that, looking up slightly she can see a tender smile on Valkyrie’s face. A wave of relief flushes through her mind and her worried look gets wiped off her face as she hears Val’s words.
“You do?” Val asked with an unfamiliar timidness in her tone, before placing her hand on top of Carol’s “You mean that?”
Carol nods slightly, which reassures Valkyrie a bit before she speaks again, slightly less timid.
“I enjoy spending time with you too Marv, a lot.”
After that sentence the two of them return to a peaceful silence, between receiving their drinks and then their food, they talked about the different things they had seen over the five years, it had definitely been eventful for the two, nothing significant happened that had effected elsewhere in the world, it was simply small pieces of an adventure that had a plotline that drew the two together. Through their conversation they relearnt facts about each other and discovered little traits that made the other realise that perhaps the thoughts that had occurred earlier was truthful. That they were trying to tell them something through each other’s body language, albeit subconsciously, it eventually drew out the sincere thoughts that both had for each other.
The conversation had been progressing smoothly and throughout it, Val’s hand stayed on top of Carols, it was light enough that is she wanted, Carol could have moved her hand out the way, yet she didn’t.
Soon enough, they finished their meal and Carol realised that she still hadn’t asked what she wanted to ask. However, she didn’t want to ruin the breath taking meal that they had just had, with a question that could make or break everything to do with their relationship. A thing that had taken so many years to cultivate into the perfect thing. Yet as they walked to the exit of the restaurant, Carol couldn’t help but look up at the taller and smile. Obviously, the brunette noticed that and hummed quietly, a soft chuckle heard by those around them,
“You alright there Danvers?” Valkyrie spoke with an almost teasing tone of voice as they walked out the door.
Walking to the side Val stopped slightly, placing a hand on Carol’s wrist, and pulling her to a stop. The contact made Carol freeze slightly, looking back at Valkyrie with a slight blush on her face, it would have been unnoticeable if Val wasn’t looking directly at her.
Val laughed softly and spoke “I’ve got to head the other way Carol, may our next meeting be joyful” before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek, as a goodbye.
Sure, this action was common between friends but that didn’t mean that Carol overanalysed it in her mind, quickly muttering out a “yeah, I’ll see you hopefully before five years pass.”
She quickly turned around, walking away from Valkyrie, her mind racing at this small piece of affection, debating as to what it meant; Was it just friendly? Why did she do it? Did she like it?
At that final thought Carol’s face flushed as she got into her carriage, a grey horse pulling it and sat, hoping that their next meeting would be soon.
---END---