Saudade

Ch.9-Empath-

*Author's Note*- I survived finals and I did pretty damn good so now I can post this chapter! It took a while considering how long this chapter is. This mainly consists of coping and you get to meet a few more characters. Please enjoy<3RJ

*****

-Sigrun-

One week. It's been one week since Loki was taken by Thanos. He could already be dead, or Thanos could be getting closer to the space stone at this very moment. But we can't track them so I'm stuck here like a sitting-fucking-duck. Instead of wallowing in my sorrow, I've thrown myself into training. I've been working out and training every moment save for meals, sleeping, and my time in the Lab with Suri. We've been making a new suit for myself, one that's more moveable but still has that traditional 'Valkyrie' look. The suit I'll wear into space when we get Loki.

Valerie has stayed with the Bartons and will stay there until we kill Thanos and are positive we are rid of him for good.

"Don't you think you've trained enough for today?" Pietro says from behind me, startling me from my thoughts. I turn and lower my hands, relaxing my shoulders. I huff a breath and walk over to a bench, taking off the wrappings on my hands.

"No," is the only answer I deign to give him. Pietro sighs and leisurely strolls to my side, I relent and meet his hard gaze.

"You need to stop. You're overworking yourself, and you've only just healed from your injuries. You are going to open your stitches if you keep this up," he scolds. I roll my eyes, brush past him to the blade bench and start to sharpen my sword. Again. "I'm serious Sigrun, you are hurting yourself."

"Then how come I can't feel anything?" I ask bluntly. There's a heavy silence as we both take in what I said. "I'm fine," I say, brushing it off, "I heal a lot faster than you do." I replace my dragonfang blade with one of my daggers and begin sharpening it too. "How is Wanda doing?"

"Bad. She loved Vision and she had to kill him, watch him die, and get brought back to life only to be killed again. That's some fucked up shit." I nod in agreement. I can't imagine that happening to Loki and I. Suddenly I don't feel like training anymore. I set down my blades.

"What's for dinner?" I ask, wiping the sweat off my brow and smoothing the stray hairs out of my face. Pietro smiles.

"Let's go check."

*****

After dinner, I walk up to my room, shower, and change into my pajamas. Settling on my bed I pull out my phone and call Clint. He answers within four rings and his face pops up on the screen.

"Hey kiddo, I'm about to put her to bed you can say goodnight to her," he greets. I smile the heaviness in my chest lifting a bit.

"Perfect. How's she been doing?" I ask. Clint shrugs on the other end as he walks up his stairs.

"She's a perfect angle. Well, except she still won't eat chicken because she found out what they look like before they're dead and the feathers apparently reminded her too much of Valkyrie wings. She's named all of them which makes it that much harder when we kill them." I laugh. Of course, she did.

"Have you ever considered just buying chicken from the store?" I ask, teasingly. Clint stops in the hallway I know connects to Valerie's room.

"Of course I have. Do you know how much effort it takes to raise and butcher chickens? But Nathaniel was obsessed with the chicks so once we got them we couldn't let them go. And well, now he's not so attached we can use them. He still likes to feed them though so we keep them around." I shake my head.

"Those kids have you by the leash," I tease. Clint scoffs.

"Don't act like you don't coddle Valerie from time to time."