A/N: The last fic got pretty dark towards the end! I think this one's gonna be pretty short and mostly fluff before I move on to either Sylki or Natasha's fics, both of which are going to dive right back into angst.

"I hate that idea."

"Come on! You're gonna love it!"
"Nope, pretty sure I'm gonna hate it."

"Pleeeaaase?"

Carol sighed. "Kamala, for the last time, I really don't have time to organize a school newspaper with you. Besides, we both know what would happen: people would get bored and quit after a month. Two at most."

"They wouldn't!"
"And I'm going to be late for work."

"Where do you work?"

"That new coffee shop place. The Screaming Goat."

"Oh! Doesn't Valkyrie work there?"

Do not stab the child. "I'm not sure who that is."

"Yes you are!" Kamala exclaimed. "Come on. Valkyrie? Thor and Loki's sister?"

"Oh, her. I haven't seen her yet, so I don't think she works there." Carol made her way out of the front doors, pausing to wave to Gamora.

"Soccer tryouts are tomorrow!" Gamora called. "Don't forget!"

"I won't!" Carol called back.

"She does," Kamala said confidently, walking with Carol even though she lived the opposite direction. "Peter said that Loki told him so."

"Well, if Loki, the most notorious liar in the entire school says something, then it must be true," Carol laughed.

"It's true!" Kamala insisted.

"I'm sure it is. Do you even live this way?"

Kamala glanced around. "No."

"Then why did you follow me?"

Kamala shrugged. "We were talking."

Carol smiled at her. "Don't you think you should go home?"

"...Yeah, probably."

Carol watched her turn and leave before sighing and turning back around.

She'd started working at the Screaming Goat a little over two weeks ago, when it had first opened. They'd struggled at first, especially because their boss never showed up and instead left MJ to run it, but now everything seemed to be working fine.

"Hey, MJ," she called, pushing the door open and breathing in the smell of coffee and baked goods. "Still no boss?"

"No," MJ replied, shaking her head. "But guess who is here?"

"Who?"

"Me." Valkyrie, who'd been crouched behind the counter, stood up.

Holy shit. Carol wasn't usually one to curse, even in her head, but holy shit.

She vaguely recognized Valkyrie−she thought they were in the same science class. Or something. She thought she remembered being at some kind of party where Valkyrie and her siblings drank too much and all became convinced they were gods.

But god, why hadn't her memory reminded her how attractive Valkyrie was?

"Hey," Valkyrie said.

"It's Valkyrie, right?" Carol guessed.

"Brunnhilde, actually," Valkyrie said to Carol's surprise. "But you can call me Valkyrie."

"Carol."

Valkyrie shook Carol's hand. Her grip was warm and solid.

"Alright," MJ said, clapping her hands together and startling them both. "Boss isn't here today, which means I'm in charge. We're opening in twenty minutes. Someone needs to be behind the counter, someone needs to be making drinks."

"Drinks!" Valkyrie called.

"I guess I'll be behind the counter, then," Carol offered.

"Great. Valkyrie, I see that," MJ snapped. Val looked guilty and slipped a small bottle back into her pocket.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were working as a team to manage the (admittedly small) number of customers.

The bell at the door rang as Natasha, Bucky, Steve, and Bucky's little sisters whose names Carol couldn't remember walked in. Natasha grinned at her and Bucky offered a cautious wave.

"Hey," Carol said when they reached the front of the line. "What can I get you?"

"One black coffee, one latte—" she turned to Bucky. "What do you want?"

"I'm okay," Bucky said.

Bucky's sister opened her mouth, but Bucky cut her off. "You can't have caffeine."

She looked mutinous, but didn't argue.

"And two hot chocolates," Natasha finished.

"Val—" Carol started.

"I heard them! On it!" Valkyrie called back.

"Thanks!"

After the last customers had left, MJ sighed and changed the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED. "Good work."

"Why are you running this place?" Valkyrie wondered. "Aren't you...a little young?"

MJ bristled. "I'm only a year younger than you two. And I don't run it. Michelle does. But she's on vacation."

"Who's Michelle?" Valkyrie asked.

"The boss."

MJ's tone didn't invite further questions, so Carol decided to end the conversation. "Val, can you help me clean up over here? Someone spilled their drink."

"Of course." Valkyrie grabbed a handful of paper towels and joined her over at one of the tables. "Is there really a Michelle?" she whispered under her breath.

Carol shrugged. "I assume so."

Valkyrie nodded. "And are you trying out for soccer tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You play basketball, right?"
Valkyrie nodded.

After a moment, MJ came over to help clean up the spill, effectively cutting off the conversation.

But as Carol was leaving, Valkyrie called her back. "Hey," she said. "If we're working together, we should probably have each other's numbers, right?"

"Oh!" Carol pulled out her phone. "That's a good idea."

Carol gave Val her number. A moment later, she got a text.

V: It's Val! ♥

Carol, to her credit, didn't blush. "Okay, I got it," she said. "Bye!"

"Bye."