#[full on i am groots the next ten minutes]

[evi-ula]

MORE D&D CONTENT LESGOOO

so somehow my dad got hold of a (secondhand?? i think???) d&d campaign thingy whatever and was like Hey Wouldn't It Be Fun If We Did This As A Family

so you guys don't know my family we have:

no imagination 1

no imagination 2

gets bored every 2 seconds

me

my dad (the dm)

i'm the only one who's played D&D

so we get out our pre-made characters fresh from the factory (though i change a few details on mine to make them less boring) and we go through the campaign and it's the most dull thing ever

this is not least because i am the only one who knows how this game works AND ONE OF MY CHARACTER'S TRAITS IS "DOESN'T LIKE TAKING AUTHORITY IN SITUATIONS"

in the end to make things interesting i cast thaumaturgy to try to convince some guys that i am the voice of god and to release some wolves in their base and then sacred flame on the one who disagrees to make it look like they have just been struck down by god (i love a good cantrip)

AND NO IMAGINATION BUDDIES WERE LIKE WHY DID YOU DO THAT. NOW WE WILL BE EATEN BY WOLVES

as if i would not rather be eaten by wolves.

we were not by the way. I LITERALLY FED THEM EARLIER THEY LIKED ME.

[shyficwriter]

Temporary Home: Chapter 7

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!)

Summary: Peter is determined to chip your shell away, but unfortunately, his attempts only seem to annoy you. He might need to step up his game, and by that he means recruiting Mantis, which backfires on him. This could be the start of a war, if Yondu knows what he's talking about.

Previous Chapter here | Next Chapter Here Or click here to: Start From Beginning

Author’s Note: I got a suggestion from @maribatshipper to add a scene where some actual raccoons get in the trash and Rocket finally sees a raccoon. I love the idea but I unfortunately didn't get a chance to add it to this chapter as it was finished before I saw the suggestion (I'll probably add it later, don't worry! lol) Anyways, it gave me an idea. What's some stuff you guys would like to see happen in this story? I do already know the direction of the story, but this could also be fun!

Word Count: 3,729

You were going to kill Peter. Probably Kraglin too.

It started maybe a couple hours after "the smelly incident," as you had mentally dubbed it, had resolved.

Peter got bored, found some old DVDs in the cabinet below the TV, and when he recognized a movie from when he was a kid, SpaceBalls, he managed to convince you to watch it with them.

He might have also quietly pulled the "unless you're too shy..." card for the thousandth time, and you might have told him it was getting old and he was working his way towards a black eye, but you did agree to watch the film with them. Peter had somehow convinced everyone else to watch the movie, too. Might have had something to do with the fact that no one exactly had anything better to do.

Kraglin sat at on one end of the sofa, Gamora on the other, and Peter & you were sandwiched in the middle, him next to Gamora and you next to Kraglin. Mantis, Rocket and Groot sat on the floor, while Drax and Yondu took the armchairs at either side of the sofa.

Only you and Peter got the Star Wars references, of course, but there were plenty of parts the others found funny even without it. Rocket mostly laughed about how Terrans didn't understand space at all if you thought that's how things worked, and compared Peter to the main character, Lone Star. He meant it in a derogatory way, of course.

At about the scene where Dark Helmet breaks the 4th wall with the line, "What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie?" Peter had started to notice that you didn't laugh openly like everyone else. You always covered your mouth like you were trying to stifle it, despite no one else bothering to be quiet, least of all Drax, who laughed loudly at parts that weren't even that funny.

That simply wouldn't do. You should be laughing freely with the others, like you did when Kraglin and Rocket got tangled up in the hose, which was probably the only time he had seen a genuine full laugh from you, now that he thought of it. To him, this was evidence that he was right, you needed to break that shell of yours and learn how to loosen up.

Annnd... if that required a little mischief on his part... well then so be it.

He waited a bit, just to see if you'd eventually let yourself relax, but when you just kept biting your lip not to laugh and covering your mouth when you started to, he decided he'd 'help' you along.

The scene came on where Dark Helmet's men were combing the dessert with a literal giant comb, and seeing you trying to stifle another laugh, Peter decided to poke you in the side.

You tried to stifle your squeak and you glared at him, but he just shrugged innocently. Poke you? Never... Doesn't sound like him...

He spaced a couple more pokes within the next few minutes of the film, making you jump and hiss at him to stop. He grinned at you and whispered he thought you could use some help laughing, since it seemed you had forgotten how. The little shit.

You irritably whisper back, "That's not gonna work, I'm not-"

Peter rolled his eyes playfully and replied, "Yeah. Sure. Not ticklish. You've said. Too bad I don't believe you." He made to poke you again and you pinched him hard on the arm, which you admit was childish, but he deserved it for annoying you. He gave you a pouty look in response and then frowned when Gamora scolded him and told him to quit behaving like a child.

You sat back and thought he'd finally quit.

And he might have, seeing that it wasn't quite working as he hoped, but Kraglin, who of course noticed your flinching and the childish bickering between you and Peter, caught Peter's eye and they shared a look. He wanted in on the fun. Movie wasn't all that interesting to him anyways.

Five minutes later you received a poke from each of them simultaneously, making your arms clamp to your sides. You turn your head from side to side to glare at both of them. Quietly threatening to break their fingers if they didn't straighten up and just watch the movie.

Based on their expressions it was clear they didn't take you seriously, but they seemed to back off... for about another ten minutes. That's when they decided to poke you again and you jerked up off the sofa with a "That's it." and moved to sit down on the floor next to Mantis where you knew you were out of their reach.

Gamora smacked Peter in the arm for annoying you off the sofa, but no one paid much mind or reacted with more than a glance as they were paying attention to the movie. Well, except for Yondu, who had fallen asleep and was now snoring softly in his chair.

Peter was slightly disappointed that you hadn't been able to let your guard down, but he wasn't deterred. In fact, he was more determined to not just chip at your shell, but shatter it. There was someone who liked to have fun in there, and he was determined to find them and pull them out.

Thankfully, you were able to finish the rest of the movie unbothered. Rocket complained about the sappy ending where Lone Star and the Princess marry, but then Mantis said she thought it was sweet and he waved her off, grumbling about how she thought everything was sweet, or cute, or whatever...

After the movie you decided to go out to the shed and apply the varnish to the bed frame, and when you came back inside to wash some of the varnish off your hands you were startled when Kraglin snuck up behind you to poke you in the ribs. He dodged just in time to avoid being smacked and ran out of the kitchen, his giggles joined by Peter's in the hall.

You sighed, now thinking you should have taken more time in the shed with the varnish. Maybe cooking something would keep you busy enough, but what would you cook? Your first thought was that lasagna would likely feed everyone, but then you remembered the cheese and you were not about to have a repeat of that morning. You were sure the hairs inside your nose were singed-off forever.

You walk out the kitchen door to catch the men still giggling in the hall and they jump from the unexpected sight of you, probably thinking you had come out to properly smack them for deliberately annoying you. You look at them, unamused, and say, "Supper will be in about an hour if you want it. If there's anything else any of you can't eat you should probably tell me now."

Peter and Kraglin exchanged looks before Peter turned back to you and said, "If there is, we don't know it yet."

Kraglin nodded and added, "Not a lot of experience with Terran food, ma'am."

You cringe slightly at being called ma'am, but give a short nod. "Well, here's hoping I don't poison anyone again," you say, turning to head back to the kitchen. You are stopped when another poke to your waist makes you jump and you turn back with a hand raised to smack him.

Peter recoils with a laugh and says, "Just wondering if you'd like any help in the kitchen?"

You narrow your eyes. "Nope. Think you two better stay out here. Clearly can't trust you not to annoy me." You can hear their chuckles as you walk back into the kitchen.

Mercifully, they left you alone all through the cooking and eating of dinner, (you had decided to make a stew). Well, they left you alone physically, that is. Throughout dinner they kept attempting jokes, and it was obvious they were aiming them at you in an attempt to get you to laugh. Most of them fell flat, however, because most of the jokes Kragin told hinged on you knowing about creatures or other stuff not from Earth that you'd have not any way of knowing the context for to make the joke make sense. The others seemed to get the jokes and find them funny though, so at least they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Better than awkward silence any day.

Peter was able to tell a few jokes with Earth references that you could understand, but they were such old jokes that anyone who didn't live in a cave would have already heard them before they finished primary school, so you didn't really laugh at his either. You did, however, smile politely, assuming that they were only trying to be friendly.

After dinner you started to get ready to wash the dishes, and Gamora offered to help.

"No thank you, I've got them tonight." you say, taking the couple of bowls she had gathered and put them in the sink.

"You sure? You cooked for us, it doesn't seem right to let you clean up by yourself too."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to make a habit of it, just... some nights I like to have something to keep me busy, ya know?" You turn on the tap and start washing the dishes. You hated to admit it, but that boiler Fury replaced your immersion with had proven to be very helpful with eight extra people in the house. If you didn't know better you'd say it was magic. Somehow there was just always hot water. You willed yourself not to get too used to it, however. No one had said, but surely SHIELD was just temporarily loaning it until the Guardians finally were able to go back home. You couldn't imagine them just giving you an upgrade like that to keep forever.

"Ok," Gamora relented, not wanting to push it. She could tell you probably still needed a bit more time before you could fully relax. "Thanks for supper."

"Don't mention it," you say, not looking up as you sudsed a bowl.

Gamora nodded and walked out of the kitchen, passing Peter, Kraglin and Mantis on her way into the sitting room. They looked like they were conspiring something, but as a general rule, she didn't get involved in Peter's shenanigans. That meant that unless it was going to directly annoy her, or possibly injure someone else, she pretended not to notice.

She had been right, they were conspiring. Well, Peter and Kraglin had been, Mantis was just along for the ride. With nothing better to do, the two men decided they'd put their energy towards continuing to mess with you, however, it was clear that they needed to get smarter about their approach if they didn't want to risk a black eye.

So they deployed Mantis.

It didn't take much to convince Mantis to do it either. It literally just took Peter asking Mantis if she wanted to play a game and she agreed.

In truth Peter was testing a theory. He watched from the kitchen door with Kraglin as they sent Mantis in to do the poking while you washed the dishes.

She poked, you jumped and spun to face her, clearly thinking it was one of the guys, and then the irritation softened from your face as you realized it was her and all she got was a mild scolding. Mantis looked back and Kraglin encouraged her to do it again with an enthusiastic nod.

This time she fluttered her fingers at your waist from both sides like she had the other day, making you jump again, and, with what sounded suspiciously to the guys to be a poorly suppressed giggle in your voice, you scolded her again and shooed her away.

Theory confirmed. You couldn't bring yourself to try and smack her away like you had with them. Good. He could work with that. Use your soft spot for her against you.

This time they motioned Mantis to come back.

She meets them at the doorway and on her way out whispers, "Did I do a good job?"

Peter smiles, "Yes. You did great. Hey, I want to show you a trick..."

***

A bit later you walked into the sitting room and Mantis calls you over to the table, saying she wants to show you a trick.

She's sitting with Peter, Kraglin, and Gamora, and you walk over hesitantly, wondering if Gamora's presence meant you could assume you'd be safe from mischief or not, seeing as she normally swatted at or scolded Peter for being annoying.

Once you reached the table Mantis stood and encouraged you to take a seat. You pull out a chair at the end of the table and sit, only to be instructed by Mantis to turn and face her.

You eye her suspiciously and then turn to Gamora. "Am I going to regret this?" you ask, your eyes moving to Peter and Kraglin who sat across from her, shrugging and shaking their heads. You were sure you could only trust them about as far as you could throw them, but Gamora appeared to genuinely have no idea what Mantis wanted to show you, so you decided to just play along. How bad could it be?

Mantis instructed you to hold out your hand for her, and you did as asked. She then held your hand palm up and placed her thumb at the tip of your middle finger, and rested the tip of her own middle finger where the palm of your hand met your wrist, as if she were measuring the distance with her own hand.

She then released your hand and moved the hand she used to measure the length of your hand with to your knee, placing her thumb on your kneecap and lowering the tip of her middle finger to rest on your thigh above the knee.

"What are you doing?" you ask, suspicion and confusion in your voice.

Mantis looked up to meet your gaze. She smiled happily and said, "I'm distracting you for this!"

You raise an eyebrow but before you could wonder much about it she squeezed your leg where her middle finger had been resting, sending a tickly jolt through your body and making you jerk in your seat and your breath catch in your throat.

You grasp for her wrist to push her away, but then she just attacked your other leg with her other hand. "Mantis! No!" you squeak, squirming in your seat and flailing for her hands. Every time you'd grab for one hand, she'd free her other hand and send ticklish pokes and squeezes wherever she could reach.

She was was a little stronger and quicker than she looked, so it made the task of restraining her hands difficult for you. You did your best to hold back any laughter as you flinched and jerked from your torment. You could hear Peter laughing and telling her 'good job,' and Kraglin encouraging her to continue, which she did, happily giggling the whole time.

"Peter!" you half scold/half beckon.

"Yes?" he asked teasingly, folding his hands under his chin with a cheeky grin. Gamora rolled her eyes and tried to shake her head disapprovingly at him, but she couldn't help grinning. Mantis just looked so playful and it was honestly adorable.

"Will you-AEK" you squeak as she darted a hand and squeezed at your waist before you could stop her, "Will you make her stop!"

"Thought you weren't ticklish?" Kraglin said with a teasingly smug grin. "That shouldn't bother you at all then. I don't see a problem."

Gamora sighed with a smile at the two men. So that's what this was about. They must have put Mantis up to this.

"Dammit!" you jerk again as Mantis landed another squeeze above your knee. "I'm- I'm not- I'm-" you were having managing words, because each time you attempted, you were cut off by another poke or squeeze from Mantis, and you were afraid you would start laughing if you allowed yourself to talk through it. You were already having a hell of a time trying not to smile, and failing.

"I swear, if you actually say you're not ticklish right now, Pete and I will pin you down and prove that you are." Kraglin threatened with an evil grin.

"Kraglin!" Gamora scolded with furrowed brow, but her warning wasn't taken too seriously on account of the humor laced in her voice.

"What? She's the one being so stubborn she can't admit it!" Kraglin laughed. As far as he was concerned, you deserved it for fibbing. Plus, wouldn't kill you to loosen up a bit- you could be... well, scary... sometimes. Although it was kinda hard to think of you as scary at the moment while you were spasming in a chair as you kept trying to get a hold on Mantis's quick hands and a grin more than threatened to crack your face.

You could feel your cheeks getting warm, hating showing signs of weakness, but knowing you didn't have much choice at the moment. "Ok! Fine!" you cry out, still grappling at Mantis's hands and biting back any giggles that threatened to spill out. You knew when you were beat. It was pretty damn obvious that you couldn't deny being ticklish anymore, and you sure as hell weren't about to give them a reason to actually properly tickle the snot out of you. You wouldn't stand a chance.

"Fine... what?" Peter chuckled in a sing-song voice and leaned on the table.

You could kill him. "Fine! I'm ticklish, okay!? I admit it! Are you happy now!?" Just then Mantis managed to free both hands and briefly tweak your ribs before you got a grip on her wrists again, finally getting a short laugh to escape your throat as you spasmed in your chair. "Will you call her off now, please!?" Gods, this was embarrassing. You didn't know how, but they were so going to pay for this.

Peter and Kraglin high-five and Peter says, "Alright, Mantis, good job."

Mantis stood and clasped her hands, giggling and saying how that was so much fun, and you half-heartedly glare up at her before standing so you could get out of there, but not before turning to aim a glare at Peter and Kraglin. The jackasses.

When you turn back you notice Yondu leaning on the back of the sofa looking amused and you cringe, asking, "How long have you been standing there?"

Yondu folded his arms and pretended to think. "Hmm... Long enough to hear the boys threaten to tickle ya silly and then see ya fold like a cheap tent." Humor twinkled in his eyes and you wanted to melt into the floor.

You inhale and look to the ceiling, your cheeks burning. Your expression then turned mischievous. Vengeance. Now.

"Mantis?" you say, turning back to face her.

"Yes?" she answers, smiling wide and sweetly.

You put on your best, most innocent face. "Ya know, maybe you should do that to Peter. Or Kraglin. Why should they miss out on the fun?" Your eyes flick to the pair menacingly to see Peter looking at you like you just shot him.

Mantis giggles and goes to take your suggestion, bouncing to their side of the table. Peter bolted from his chair, saying, "Mantis- wait a minute!" and tried to run around the table, getting slowed down when Kraglin tripped him, mostly likely to save himself as he also stood to get out of Mantis's way, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her in Peter's direction when it looked like she was going after him. Unfortunately for Peter, he didn't get much further after Kraglin tripped him as Gamora effortlessly caught him by the arm and then laughed as she held him in place and he complained.

You turned back to Yondu with a satisfied smile and started to walk past him to leave when he leaned over to speak in a low tone as you got near. "Hope ya know that was a mistake, girl," he chuckled.

"What?" you say, surprised. Peter could be heard laughing and pleading with Mantis and Gamora behind you.

He grinned wider. "If there's anythin' I know about that boy, ya just declared war. An' if that ain't bad enough, now yer stuck in a house with him, and my first mate who ain't got nothin better to do."

"Ah." Your voice cracks, your eyes widening, nervousness creeping into your belly. "Well surely they wouldn't hold a grudge- I mean, they started it-"

He straightened back up and chuckled, shaking his head knowingly. "Jus' figured I should give ya a heads up. Do with it what ya will. Boy's partial to pranks when it comes to revenge. Might wanna be on the lookout for buckets of water above your doorways tomorrow. Or grease in your boots. That used to be Quill's go-to." Mirth glistened in his eyes and made you unsure if this warning was out of the goodness of his heart or if he enjoyed seeing the 'oh shit' look on your face.

You swallowed. Fuck. Just what you needed. A war. You decided it might be a good idea to get out before Peter could escape, or before Kraglin could decide to avenge his friend. "Well I'm going to go to bed now." Your voice was a little higher than you'd like and you could hear Yondu chuckling as you scarpered.

He knew it was more likely you were going to hide than going to sleep. It was barely dark out.

Yondu shook his head and walked to take a seat on the couch, still chuckling at the flicker of fear in your eyes when he told you that you had started a war. He switched on the TV and idly wondered who'd give up first. He'd gotten the impression that you wouldn't be one to back down, despite the nervousness present on your face.

You may have the advantage of being on home turf, but Quill could be relentless. More than likely you were fucked, but it'd be interesting to see how it all played out.

You might surprise him.

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

I’m back from shopping, so you know what that means....a report on Covid-19 behavior in rural Eastern North Carolina.

Do I have to tell you people aren’t following the guidelines worth a damn?

***sigh***

So at Walmart I’d say about 1/3 of people shopping did not have masks at all. Of the ten people going in ahead of me, eight didn’t wear masks. Someone was standing at the entrance offering masks, but if someone replied to their “Do you want a mask” with a “No” nothing else was said. There wasn't even a polite reminder that the store requires them. So obviously Walmart requiring them is rather meaningless. 

The percentage of people wearing masks in any of the stores never got any higher. Of those wearing masks, the majority wearing them wore them incorrectly. Considering how many had them on their chins or around their neck, I was almost glad for the ones with just their noses out. Almost.

Social distancing and following direction signs in stores will never be a thin pg here. In a good few rows in Walmart the direction markers were even missing or half worn out, but then a lot of them were already so far down rows you had to head down them to see them.

When it came time to check out at Walmart I ended up loosing my cool. 

To begin with, they had only two checkout rows open. The lines for those rows went out to fill the passage way before turning to overlap each other. The lack of social distancing in front and back now included people from the neighboring line inches away, standing there for long periods of time. Also, everyone trying  to walk through the front of the store had to weave in and out of the lines. 

This is not why I lost my cool. It wasn’t even because I had to stand their 40 minutes with my feet in agony (remember, thanks to flat feet I walk on my ankles and the ankles braces only offer so much help. What finally got to me was the conversation behind me.

The woman behind me, without a mask, and the woman behind her, with a mask on her chin, started out grumbling about checking out, which again didn’t bother me. Grumbling about giving the manager a talking to and grumbling that there are always different people checking people out (not sure why that bugged them) made no difference to me. Then they got onto Covid-19.

So now I’m standing there listening to these women being totally dismissive on the corona virus. “I’m not saying there isn’t a virus, but there is no reason to make a fuss” “A doctor in Greenville said that as long as you don’t have a weakened immune system you won’t even know you are sick.” “That doctor says it’s all just media hype trying to make us scared.” Etc.

I found myself getting angry. I knew lots of people around here felt that way, so I shouldn’t suddenly found my blood boiling. Maybe being tired and in pain made me grumpier. Maybe that hour long talk on the phone before I left where Mom and I talked about various things in the news, both agreeing that if can just outlive Trump it might be almost as good as living long enough for the next generation to make the world a better place, that wore me down. I dunno.

Finally one of them said “Masks don’t really do any good so there isn’t any point in wearing them.” And that is when I lost my cool... 

I turned around to the women and said “Well the masks won’t work if you don’t actually wear them over your face! And even if you get it and never feel sick, you can give to other people that might get VERY sick! THAT’S why you need to wear masks!” 

The woman with the mask on her chin that had just been quoting some doctor about how it was all hype now was muttering “That’s right!” And pulled the mask back up...even over her nose.

 I actually hadn’t expected her to do that. I was just at that point where you have to say something to willful stupidity endangering others. I never expected confrontation to help.

Now I don’t want to suggest that my whole trip was full of rage and maskless idiots. There were friendly people doing their best. I even managed a tiny conversation with “Groot Guy”, though I do worry I am inflicting myself on him. Even though I only bump into him every month or so, I can’t help but wonder if he regrets ever being friendly to this babbling customer. Mostly it wasn’t the most depressing trip ever...

But dang, this Covid-19 situation just gets more discouraging. If we can’t even get 50% of people properly wearing masks, and the ones not wearing masks increases even when they are required, I suspect all the people I chatted with who are looking longly to the time we go back to normal areon for a LONG wait.

I despair for the human race. 

If I get Covid-19 know that I always wore a mask, washed my hands, and tried to go out as little as possible. I was doing my best. Too bad so few other were....

[avengerscompound]

The Facts

The Facts: A Clintasha Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Clint Barton x Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Word Count:  2531

Warnings:  Smut (Bi MFF threesome, oral sex, vaginal sex, face sitting), Superpowered reader)

Synopsis:   There has been a lot of terrible things that Natasha, Bucky, and Clint have had to endure, but they’ve all lead here.

The Facts

It was a fact that you were a super.  Even if they didn’t believe it.  Even if really you were kind of useless on combat missions and your spy work was substandard, you still were.  In fact, the gift you had was actually pretty cool, even though everyone thought you were lying and just had studied a lot or something.  The thing was; you could understand any language.  It only took you hearing each word used once and you could speak it fluently too.  By any language, it meant any too.  From obscure dialects only spoken by a handful of people to computer code, you even understood every single ‘I am Groot’ that Groot uttered.

So when Clint Barton tried to catch you out by signing to Natasha Romanoff all the things he wanted to do to you.  You watched him glowering until you understood enough ASL to sign back ‘Are you planning to talk about it or do it?’

It was also a fact that Clint Barton was a massive dork.  Completely incorrigible.  Just full of puns and quick comebacks.  Teasing you constantly.  Putting you into headlocks and ruffling your hair.  A surly dork at times.  But a dork nonetheless.  You kind of might be falling for him pretty hard.  Which sucked.  Despite how much you liked the giant idiot.  Maybe because of how much you liked him.  He had huge commitment issues, and that was just for a start.

It was a fact that in contrast, Natasha Romanoff was the coolest person you knew.  She just knew how to act in every situation.  Nothing ruffled her.  She was quick to come back with a smart ass reply to Clint and Tony.  She knew to be quiet and kind with Bucky and Bruce.  She had advice to give Steve.  And with you… well with you she was as best friend to gossip with and a complete goddess. You kind of might be falling for her pretty hard too.  Which also sucked.  She couldn’t be tied down by one person, and that was just for a start.

Because it was also a fact that Clint and Natasha had something going on with each other.  Everyone knew it.  The only people who didn’t seem to know it was Clint and Natasha.  They thought they were so smooth too.  Always leaving to go to bed ten minutes apart.  Never standing too close in public.  They were ridiculous.  Which was really the main reason why falling for either of them was a mistake.

It was also a fact that whatever was going on with Clint and Natasha was open.  They sometimes came home with other people.  So that time you and Clint got drunk and ended up fucking in the armory after he tried to prove to you that he was still a crack shot even completely smashed didn’t make you feel particularly guilty.  Nor did it the several time since then when Natasha was away on a mission and he’d come into your room and ask you if you were doing anything and you answered ‘You.’

You also didn’t feel guilty about that time when you and Natasha were in her room watching terrible soap operas and she complained about missing eating vagina and you’d looked down at your lap and back at her and then spent the next couple of hours taking turns going down on each other.   Nor did you feel guilty that it became a weekly occurrence.

Of course, continuing to hook up with them when you were falling for them wasn’t what most people would consider smart.  You were very good at lying to yourself that you could handle it though.

So when there is a knock on your bedroom door and they come in holding hands it is also a fact that it feels like your heart just tried to leap out of your chest through your throat and started suffocating you.

“Hey, can we talk to you?”  Natasha asks, coming in and sitting on the end of the bed.

You nod and pull your knees up to your chest.  “What’s up, guys?”

Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud.  That’s the sound you hear as Clint comes and sits down next to you.  Along with the ‘wah, wah, wah’ sound that the adults make in Charlie Brown movies.

It takes a little longer for your brain to catch up to the fact they are actually speaking words and not doing that thing where they start spewing gibberish to see if they can catch you up on the whole ‘superpower’ thing.

“So Clint and I have been seeing each other,”  Natasha says, rubbing her hand on Clint’s thigh.

“Really?  I had no idea.  You’re such amazing secret agents you’d covered it up seamlessly.”  You snark.

Clint puts his palms on his cheeks and drops his jaw.  “Nat!  I think she knew!”  He says matching sarcasm with sarcasm.

Natasha rolls her eyes.  “Well, anyway…”  She says, ignoring the two of you.  “As you know, Clint and I have issues.  You know… with intimacy.”

“Yeah, yeah.  Russian assassin school.  Raised by carnies.  I’m up to speed.”  You reply, giving them the finger guns.

Clint sighs like he was blissfully happy.  “Mmm… nothing I like more than having my childhood trauma reduced to ‘raised by carnies’.”

You pounce on him and start tickling his sides.  “Yeah, you hate it so much.  You only do it all the time.”

He laughs and squirms, eventually throwing you off and pinning you down.  “I’m allowed to.  You have to be sympathetic.”  He says, looking down at you.  “And don’t tickle me.”

You look up at him and frown.  “Sorry, Clint.”

He laughs and starts tickling you in return and even as you try and get away from him you keep thinking how fucked you are now that he and Natasha are about to tell you they’re going to be exclusive with each other.

When he finally lets you back up, you resume your position of legs tucked up.  “So why are you talking to me?  If you want advice about how to be in a committed relationship, I hate to tell you guys.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve slept with both of you on more than one occasion at overlapping times.”  You whisper the last bit of the sentence loudly like it was some kind of conspiratorial secret.

Natasha gives you a half smile.  “See, that’s the thing.  You say that, but besides Clint and I who have you been sleeping with?”

You chew on your bottom lip and don’t answer them.

“So it would be factual to say that you have been having a committed relationship to Clint and I, and we just didn’t know about it?”  Natasha asks.

You look away from her.  It feels like they’ve just come to rub it in.  That can’t be right so you try and search for another reason.  “Tash, if you’re just here to check I’m okay with you two not fucking me anymore.  It’s fine.  I was never under the delusion that either of you would end up with me.”

Clint laughs.  “That’s not what we came in here for, you dumb ass.”

You elbow him in the chest.  “Then what?  It’s great you’re dating.  Why are you here?”

“Clint and I don’t want our relationship to be open anymore.  You’re right.”  Natasha says.

You go to say something and Natasha raises her eyebrow at you.  That look alone silences you more quickly than anything else.

“I said no longer open.  I didn’t say monogamous.”  She says.

Your jaw actually drops open and Clint reaches forward and pushes is closed.  “I always wanted to do that to someone.  Thanks.”  He teases.

“So what do you say, babe?  Want to be our girlfriend?”  Natasha asks.

You look from Clint to Natasha.  Clint looks a little excitable puppy that’s really close to getting a treat.  Natasha just looks as cool as she always does.

“But if you have commitment problems aren’t you doubling your workload if there’s two of us?”  You ask both of them.

“Or are we halving it?” Clint asks.

You shake your head.  “No.  Definitely doubling.”

Natasha punches him in the leg.  “Look, we just thought maybe we’d try this out.  Neither of us has been with anyone else for months and months now.  No one except you.  It doesn’t work, well we can just dial it back to pretending we’re not in a relationship when we obviously are.  You in or out?”

You stop and think, chewing your bottom lip.  On the pros list, there’s the fact you’ve been falling deeper and deeper down the Clint and Natasha well for a year now and you’re about the have your cake and eat it.  On the cons is…  literally nothing you can think of.  All those things people would normally worry about when doing something like this, how people will treat you, public image, jealousy, family.  Those you’d already come to terms with when you agreed to the whole regular casual sex with each of them.

“In.”  You say.

Clint pulls you back into his arms and kisses you hard.  It takes you by surprise and you push back and gasp for breath.  “Clint, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down.  I get to have a threesome.”  He says, excitedly.

You laugh and shove him.  “If you’d asked before you could have had one.”

“Yeah but, we were trying to pretend we weren’t messing around with each other.”  He says gesturing to Natasha.

Natasha grabs Clint by the collar and pulls him towards her. “I’m seriously rethinking the whole arrangement.”  She says and kisses him.  You watch them as Clint completely submits to Natasha, opening his mouth just a little as she tugs on his bottom lip with her teeth.

She pulls back and turns to you smirking.  “Come here.”  She says and pulls you into a kiss over Clint’s lap.  You close your eyes and sigh as your lips caress against each other.  You feel Clint’s hand on your hip.

“Oh man, I’m like the luckiest guy in the universe.”  He says, bouncing a little in his seat.

Natasha shoves Clint and he falls backward onto the mattress and starts laughing.  You both turn on him.

“You do realize who you’re dating now though, Clint?  You are going to be exhausted all the time.”  You say, pulling his shirt up over your head.

“Yes, Clint.  You are going to have to work very, very hard to keep us happy.”  Natasha agrees as she unfastens his pants.

“Oh shit. I’ve made a terrible mistake.”   Clint says as he looks up at you both.

You and Natasha strip him of his clothes and then turn on each other.  You take turns removing each piece of clothing one by one.  Taking your time.  When Natasha pulls your shirt up off, she kisses you.  When you take hers off you nip at her earlobe.  Each piece of clothing is accompanied by a kiss or a touch.  By the time you’re both naked, you’re buzzing and Clint looks like he’s about pass out.  His cock throbs and leaks precome down his shaft.

You look down at him, eyes darkened and bend down licking up a trail of his precome as you keep your eyes on his as the salty flavor of it coats your tongue.

“Jesus Christ, woman!”  He yelps, and sits up.  You pull back and a sticky tendril forms between your tongue and his cock.  It snaps off and Clint leans in.  You part your lips ready to kiss him, but Natasha is there first.  She kisses you hungrily, pushing you back onto the mattress.  Her fingers go to your pussy, sliding up and down your folds and teasing at your clit.  She dips two of them inside of you stroking over your internal walls once before removing them.

She sucks one.  Her eyes closed making a contented humming sound and then offers her other digit to Clint.  “Would you like a taste?”

Clint makes a squeaking sound and takes Natasha’s finger in his mouth, sucking it clean.  He moans and when he lets her finger go he moves so he’s positioned between your legs.  He nuzzles at your pussy for just a second before his tongue swipes up.  You moan and arch up.  “Oh fuck.”  You groan.  “Nat.  Let me taste you.”

Natasha straddles your face.  You kiss her thighs.  Sucking hard on her muscle.  You even bite down.  Natasha chuckles.  “You’re such a bad girl.”  She says.  “If that’s how you’re going to play, you might need to be punished later.”

You whimper and you hear Clint chuckle against your pussy.  He sucks on your clit and you gasp as a jolt runs through you.  You start running your tongue up Natasha’s pussy.  The salty sweet taste of her assaults your senses.

Everything becomes overwhelming.  All your senses are getting hit in dramatic ways and you start to lose control.  Clint holds you down as he starts fucking you with his fingers.  You somehow manage to keep your focus on Natasha though.  She rolls her hips against your face.  You add your fingers to her too and it’s not long until the sound of her pleasure fills the room.

Natasha’s legs start to tremble and you put all your energy into her.  You suck her clit between your lips and flick your tongue over it as your fingers strokes over her g-spot.  She leans forward, resting on Clint’s shoulders and comes.  “Oh god.” She moans, her legs shaking.

She climbs off you and Clint sits up too.  They kiss each other and each of them makes this low hungry growl as they suck and lick each other’s lips.

“Time to multi-task, Barton,”  Natasha says and pushes him onto his back.

You straddle Clint’s hips and slowly guide his cock deep into your cunt.  You both groan and his hands go to your hips.  Natasha straddles his face and leans forward and kisses you.  You can faintly taste yourself on Natasha’s lips and it mixes with the flavor of her.  You bounce on his cock, rocking your hips.  Natasha brings her fingers to your clit and starts drawing tight circles over it with her index finger.

Everything feels fuzzy and you moan into her mouth.  Electricity runs up and down your spine.  Your orgasm crests and when it breaks you throw your head back and cry out.  Even as our orgasm still shudders through you, you continue rocking your hips.  You’re not quite sure what happens but Natasha and Clint seem to come in unison.  Clint’s hips snap up into you as he comes, his cock pulsing.  Filling you.  Natasha moans loudly and falls forward into you, her arms wrapping around your waist.

You all collapse down on your bed and just lie side by side panting.  You don’t even touch you just lie there.

“Holy shit.”  You say after a while.

Both Natasha and Clint laugh.  “Accurate,”  Natasha adds.

A smile creeps over Clint’s face.  “I can not wait to tell Stark.  His brain is going to short-circuit.”

“That is a true fact.”  You laugh.

[shewhohangsoutincemeteries]

don’t touch my stuff

Rocket Raccoon x Reader

Summary: requested by anonymous. the milano crew are stuck paying taxi to yondu, who quickly takes a liking to the reader. only problem is, she’s already involved with a certain raccoon, even if the others don’t know it yet.

Characters/Pairings: rocket x reader, peter quill x gamora, yondu udonta, drax, baby groot

Warnings: minor explicit language, unwanted flirting

Word Count: 2,346

MARVEL MASTERLIST

You sat cross-legged and comfortable on the floor of the Milano’s main room, your paperback laying abandoned by your side. You’d intended just to read for a while, content to keep Rocket silent company as he worked on whatever new device he was creating. The two of you spent a lot of time like that; while neither of you addressed it, the friendship between you had grown into something more emotionally intimate in the last month or so, something neither of you had named. Still, you’d stopped picking up men at bars while at port, and Rocket slept curled against the small of your back more often than not. Whatever it was, you were keeping it to yourselves; you were still trying to come to grips with your feelings for the raccoon, and you didn’t need input from the others until you both knew where you stood.

Nothing had really changed between you outwardly; you still shared a bunk, you still sat by his side at dinner and you were still the one most likely not to suffer a shot from a blaster if a drunken Rocket had to be manhandled out of a bar. The others were in the cockpit, and you’d had about ten minutes of quiet (aside from the quiet backdrop of Quill’s mixtape) with your partner and book before you’d gotten distracted.

Not by Rocket – he was still fiddling with spare parts – but by the tiny tree that shared your bunk and would wake you up at night to beg for candy.

Your hands were raised in front of you, fingers twitching in the gestures you always used to shape and control your projections on a small scale. The mid-level ability to create psychokinetic force fields came with its perks, and while you didn’t have as much control as you liked, entertaining Groot on long treks between planets was definitely one of them. It might not have been the usual purpose, but you could always chalk it up to honing your reaction times. Besides, the little guy loved this game.

You were projecting a small, saucer-sized field about a foot or so above you for Groot to use as a platform. With a joyful cry he leapt off it blindly, and you quickly closed your fist to dissolve it while summoning up another with your other hand. You caught him about eight inches down and further away from you. He giggled as he landed, standing again and jumping on it excitedly. Every time his feet met it, ripples of blue-tinged energy would dance through it. Rocket glanced up at the two of you, an amused, affectionate expression on his face, one that he only let cross it when you were alone.

“I am Groot!”

“Yeah, I saw it, little man.” Rocket assured him, like a dad tiredly watching his kid on a diving board.

You wiggled your fingers experimentally, the shield expanding. Groot bounced around the edges of it happily before leaping off again. You caught him hastily with another projection, a few inches above Rocket’s head. The raccoon smirked up at him as Groot waved at him through it. You bit you lip and released the energy suddenly, bursting into laughter as the Flora Colossus fell straight onto your partner’s head.

Rocket cursed as his little friend tumbled down into his lap, glaring at you. You winked teasingly at him as Groot babbled away laughingly; the little guy immediately began tugging at the edge of Rocket’s jumpsuit, eager for him to join the two of you.

“You’re a frickin’ pain, you know that?” he huffed, trying to hide his smile. He shook Groot off and poked him in the belly when he pouted. Groot laughed again, wriggling away. “The both of ya.”

“Oh, please. You’ve been paying more attention to us than whatever the hell that is.” You taunted playfully, gesturing at the half-finished device in front of him. “Which is…?”

“Prototype.”

“How enlightening.”

“Shut your mouth, I’m workin’,” he grinned.

You snickered, beckoning Groot towards you. He scampered over excitedly. “Again?”

“I am Groot!”

“How about a speed run?” you suggested and he nodded, bracing himself like a runner at the starting line. You turned to Rocket. “Do the honors?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “On your marks… Get set… Go!”

You summoned a force field, dissolving it and creating another in front of it almost immediately after Groot jumped upon it. He ran over each of them, and you both continued all the way to the table in the middle of the room. When Groot’s feet met the tabletop you both cheered, Rocket clapping behind you in amusement. You stood and stretched, stiff from sitting on the hard floor.

“Well, ain’t you just full of surprises?”

You turned around, caught off-guard. Yondu Udonta was leaning against the wall by the cockpit’s ladder. Quill followed him down and gave you a friendly wink, taking a seat at the table and planting his feet on it.

He was doing his old captain a favor – Yondu needed to get somewhere Ravager ships weren’t welcome, but thanks to the events on Xandar, the Milano was the exception. So, you were all stuck playing taxi for a while.

You flushed and stiffened uncomfortably; you weren’t used to people seeing you use your abilities, not in a personal setting. You saw Rocket straighten in your periphery, ears up, no doubt noticing your wariness. “Can I help you with something?”

Yondu smirked widely at you, touching his tongue to a canine. “Haven’t decided yet. I’m Yondu.”

“She knows who you are, ya moron.” Rocket interjected sarcastically as he tossed his work aside and moved to your side, arms folded. You coughed to smother a laugh. “How many ugly-ass blue guys you think Quill knows?”

“Rocket…” Quill groaned, exasperated.

“Missed you too, Rat.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m Y/N.”

“Ain’t you just…” Yondu replied, giving you an appraising look that made you very aware of the tightness of your jeans. It was kind of strange; he had the same kind of charm to him that Quill did, and you had to wonder if Quill had purposely picked up Yondu’s mannerisms, or if it had been subconscious. Either way, it was uncanny; the look he gave you was the same one Peter had once upon a time, and just like then, you ignored it. You saw Quill shake his head exasperatedly out of the corner of your eye. “What exactly is it you were doin’, darlin’?”

“I, uh…” you cleared your throat. “I make shields.”

“Shields?”

“Like… force fields.”

“Out of thin air?”

“…with my brain?”

“You just think it and ‘poof’?”

“Something like that.”

“She’s a hell of an asset in a fight,” Quill interjected, and you shot him a small smile. “Stand out in the open with her and they can’t land a single shot.”

“And what does that make you exactly, girlie?” Yondu asked, stepping away from the wall and towards you as Drax descended the ladder.

“She’s Terran.” Rocket said sourly. He knew, as did the rest of crew, that you’d had a hard time coming to terms with your mutant genes back on Terra. Your time at the Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters had helped you learn to control and appreciate your abilities, but the idea that people would consider you abnormal still stung. “Just like Quill.”

“Except for her mutation. Quill doesn’t have one of those.” Drax pointed out casually, and you glared at him. The smallest of growls rumbled through Rocket’s throat. “What?”

“You one of them mutants, then?”

“If you want to get all technical about it.”

“Wanna show me what you can do?”

“You get any closer and you’re gonna find out.” you dead-panned, and Rocket sniggered. Quill coughed to cover a laugh of his own.

“Is that a promise?” Yondu said suggestively.

“Ugh,” you groaned. “I’m going to my bunk.”

***

Yondu paid particular attention to you over the next few days; dropping comments whenever you came in the room. It was easy to ignore, but you could tell that it was starting to get to Rocket. He tensed every time Yondu came into the room, so you’d taken to avoiding him just to keep Rocket relaxed.

It wasn’t until his third night on the ship that it became an actual issue. Quill, Drax and Yondu had broken out some of the heavier stuff early in what would be considered the afternoon, the roar of their laughter and macho posturing echoing through the ship. You’d eventually convinced Rocket to join them, insisting he have a good time.

You had joined Gamora in the cockpit and taken the opportunity to ride shotgun and get a kind of intro course into flying. You’d spent a few hours with her, Groot scrambling happily underfoot, and while Gamora was quieter than your male cohort, she was wonderful company. She’d watched with interest as you’d tried projecting a shield around Groot instead of in front of him; she’d offered to help with more hands-on training once you were planet-side.

Quill had called you both down for food some time later, and while Gamora had rolled her eyes at the slurring of his speech, she’d set the Milano to auto-pilot and the two of you had gone down to join them, Groot riding on the assassin’s shoulder.

The four of them were sitting around the table, drinks in hand. Rocket stole a quick glance at you as you passed, a drunken, affectionate smile on his mouth and a twitch in his ears. Gamora touched a hand to Quill’s shoulder as she passed, and his came up to brush over it.

“Is this a liquid dinner?” you asked in amusement, noting the complete lack of food on the table. “Cause if you’re expecting us to make it… Well, Gamora won’t be impressed.” You caught her smirking at that.

Quill looked sheepish, but Drax had no qualms about speaking up. “Gamora is too formidable to expect that from, Y/N. But you are much more suited to domestic work.”

Quill let out a dramatic gasp at that and Yondu snorted. They’d had more than you’d thought.

“Thanks, buddy.” You said sarcastically, but you rolled your eyes and headed for the kitchen. “You’re gonna pay for that later.”

“I am not afraid of doing battle with you!” Drax declared loudly.

“Oh, not in battle, my friend,” you told him as you returned, hauling with you a bunch of snack food. Not the healthiest dinner, but maybe the salt would help sober them up. “Get used to freezing showers.”

Rocket laughed at that, and you winked at him as you passed around food.

“Thanks, darlin’.” Yondu drawled, and you faltered as you felt his hand caress your backside. You spun around, instinctively summoning up a force field between the two of you. It stretched floor to ceiling and was big enough that it knocked him off his chair, and Drax roared with laughter at the bewildered expression on the blue man’s face.

“What the hell’d you do that for?!” Yondu said, clambering to his feet.

“You don’t touch me,” you said, voice hard despite its wavering. You weren’t used to projecting shields so large, and you realized it had been hours since you’d last eaten. Your head spun slightly.

“What’d he just do?” Rocket demanded, standing on his chair. His voice was still thick with alcohol, but his tone was serious now. “What did you just do?!”

“Rocket, man, what’s your problem?” Quill had straightened slightly in his seat, but Gamora looked surprisingly calm beside him. Maybe even a little proud.

“Did you just touch her?” Rocket was off his seat and in front of you before you’d even realized it. You felt dizzy, and your hand found the tabletop for support. Low blood sugar was a bitch. “You don’t get to touch her.”

“Rocket…”

“Man, relax!” Quill was now out of his seat, hands up in a pacifying gesture. Last thing he needed were holes in his ship.

“You got a problem with that, Rat?” Yondu challenged defensively, ego bruised.

“Yeah, I got a problem, asshole.” Rocket slurred angrily. “You don’t get to touch what’s mine!”

“What’s yours?” Quill repeated, the slightest hint of amusement to his words. “Rocket, have you got a crush?”

Drax’s laughter renewed, almost painfully loud, and he almost fell out of his chair himself. “The rodent has feelings for the Terran!”

Rocket snarled, hackles raised as he turned on the two of them. Despite the increasingly uncomfortable dizziness you were feeling, you held out your hand and projected a small shield in front of him, barely the size of a baseball. Still, he stopped, glancing down at it and then at you.

“It’s okay, Rocket. I’m fine…”

“He’s—”

You closed your hand, the shield dissipating, and reached out shakily to stroke the fur behind his ear. You gave him a small, reassuring smile. “It’s okay.”

“Uh, Y/N…?”

You stiffened slightly, hand halting, before turning to face the others. “You got something to say, Peter?”

He hesitated, before shaking his head. “Nope, I’m just very, very, drunk.”

“Good.” You nodded, turning to the Destroyer. “Drax? You laugh at Rocket one more time and I find out what happens when I project a force field inside someone.”

Oh my God, you actually made Drax the Destroyer gulp. Gamora, who seemed to be taking this revelation pretty much in stride, looked somehow more proud than before.

“You—” you pointed a finger at Yondu, who was watching the whole situation unfurl with a mixture of confusion and amusement. “Touch me again and we’re gonna have a problem. Otherwise, we’re all good.”

“’ppreciate it.” He replied, nodding and helping himself to another drink. “Tell you what, Rat. You got yourself a hell of a spitfire there.”

There was a cockiness in Rocket’s expression that almost made you roll your eyes, but it disappeared under the blooming affection he wore as he looked at you. “Yeah. She’s got me, too.”

.

.

.

tags: @lovely-dreamer19 @spacesuitsforemergency @wittyforachange @moon-tastic

[forever-use-your-imaginatio-blog]

G-rated

Requested: Yes! By @grootiez. Thank you so much for this request. It was so much fun to write.

Summary: “One shot idea in honor of Deadpool (aka Bob Ross): Rocket takes the reader and Baby Groot to the movies to see the 1 film Groot’s been dying to see: Happy Little Trees: The Life and Legacy of Bob Ross. When they get to the theater, the reader watches the trailer for the film only to find out it’s really Deadpool 2 and it’s HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE for Groot. Well, when the reader tells Rocket of this, he agrees and you buy tickets for a more G-rated, Groot-friendly film, which Groot protests about.”

Warnings: none

****

Rocket was leaning on your leg as you were both watching baby Groot buy the tickets to cinema. He persuaded you that he was already old enough to buy tickets for movie that he’s been dying to see. According to Groot was called: Happy Little Trees: The Life and Legacy of Bob Ross and it was lovely family movie.

Groot looked so cute as he was standing on the counter trying to explain what he wanted. Sadly the cashier did not understand one bit which was making Rocket laugh out loud: “Geez he’s a moron!”

“Don’t you think we should go there and help Groot? Instead of making fun of the poor cashier?” You mumbled. Honestly you felt bad for the poor guy. Rocket on the other hand didn’t.

“Oh no way Y/N! This is just too damn funny.”

After some more tantrums from Groot, he finally managed to get his so desired tickets. He came back to us with a smug look on his face. He waved the tickets and said: “I am Groot!” (I’m so excited!)

You picked him and and put him on your shoulder, he was excitedly waving his arms around and that made Rocket roll his eyes. “I really hope this movie will be over quickly... I’m not fan of family movies.”

You pushed him with your foot to remind him that you were doing it for Groot as you were getting your tickets checked. “Enjoy the movie,” whispered the stoned looking usher. When you were away from him you muttered that he had it ten times worse than you and Rocket.

Surprisingly enough Groot didn’t even mention that he wanted popcorn or anything. He was pointing towards the right room, pulling at your hair and he kepkt yelling: “I am Groot! I am Groot!” (Let’s go! Let’s go!)

“Calm down Groot they won’t steal our seats...” Rocket was still grumpy and when he realized that the cinema would surely be full of crying, snotty children his mood dropped down even more.

Groot reserved the best seats, you were there ten minutes earlier and nobody yet arrived. Groot was shifting in his seat, he could barely contain his excitement. Rocket looked like he was about to throw up. Ten minutes before the screening the room was already filled up with people. But there wasn’t one kid, only grown ups in masks or comic themed tops.

Something definitely wasn’t right. Almost invisibly you leaned towards the man next to you and you whispered: “I’m sorry but what movie is being shown here?”

“Deadpool 2? How can you not know?!” The hardcore fan almost threw you out himself. It had to be misunderstanding of some sort. You googled the movie and you were sure that it wasn’t anything for Groot. You even watched the trailer. It was horrifying, too much blood and swearing.

As the lights went out you told Rocket what was actually happening. However, it only made him happy: “That’s great! I wanted to see this movie for so long!”

“It’s not suitable for Groot! I saw the trailer and it made my stomach turn Rocket.”

He only waved his paw at you. “Don’t be like that Y/N, everybody knows they always put the best scenes in the trailer. I’m sure it won’t be so bad...”

You decided to watch the beginning. It started as a normal movie, it almost made you believe that it wouldn’t be so bad. Plus Groot seemed alright with the situation. Not even ten minutes into the film you were covering Groot’s eyes and Rocket was dragging you out. Maybe he believed it would be better than family comedy but even he had enough parenting sense to stop it.

Groot was protesting, screaming at the whole room: “I am Groot!” (But I want to see the movie!) You couldn’t believe he tricked you like that.

“Oh you better hope we will let you watch anything after we get back home young man,” Rocket fired back at him as you finally left the room. At least you didn’t hear the fans booing at you to stop talking.

“I am Groot!” (You are so evil!) Groot’s little hands were curled up into fists but he was still looking sweet.

“Groot stop it. We are not going back. It would traumatize you...” you said. Groot looked like he was about to cry.

Rocket wasn’t buying it but he also didn’t want anymore arguments: “Groot nobody is buying your fake crying. Let’s head back. If you stop making a scene we’ll get you some candy and we’ll buy tickets for another movie alright?”

He was still sniffling but he agreed to the idea of candy. He wasn’t so hyped about different film but it was something. You mentally noted that you would never ever let Groot buy tickets alone.

[grootiez]

The Joys of Raising a Teenaged Groot- Chapter 16: Groot’s Fate

Rocket walked in the conference room. Inside were big brown leather chairs on wheels surrounding a giant circular oak table. The walls of the room were filled with an array of book cases filled to the brim with books about different medical conditions and research into those ailments.

The raccoon took a seat on one side of the table. The nurses, emergency room techs, and all of the other people that were assigned to Groot’s case sat on the other side. Rocket could tell just by the sheer amount of paperwork, files, and other important pieces of documentation that the news probably wasn’t good for Groot and he should be prepared for the worse.

The nurse that was assigned to Groot when Rocket came to visit with his son spoke first. “Rocket, I’m Kalika and I was Groot’s nurse when he came in last night. It was very touch-and-go with him and he was in a lot of pain when we took him to the procedure room, where we had no choice but to place him in a medically-induced coma until his condition stabilizes and improves. But he showed no immediate improvement as is typical of people who come in with these types of injuries. There were also a couple of times when he stopped breathing and was deprived of oxygen for at least fifteen minutes. And he was also clinically dead for a couple of minutes twice in the span of ten minutes before we were able to revive him.”

Rocket bowed his head down at hearing this. He sighed before mumbling to himself. “So there’s no hope for him, is there?” He looked up at the other people in the room. “You’re going to pull the plug, aren’t you?”

The nurses, specialists, and technicians looked at Rocket as they silently nodded, confirming Groot’s fate.

“All the signs point to brain death. He also contracted a very severe infection from the blades of the knives he was stabbed by and some of the stab wounds he suffered were very deep and close to some of his vital organs, further increasing the severity of the infections. Now, he suffered a very bad black eye that’s extremely swollen. We tried to get him to open it while he was still conscious so that we could look at the damage and determine if his eye could be saved, but he couldn’t. He also has a few lacerated muscles and a few fractures in his arm and both of his legs.” Kalika explained as Rocket’s expression changed. “His chances for survival, let alone a full recovery are less than a 0.01% chance. If somehow he did make it, he would be severely brain damaged and would be a bed-ridden vegetable for the rest of his life, and I know that neither you nor him would want that, so it would be best to remove him from life support and let Groot die peacefully.”

Rocket does his best to contain his emotions. He tries not to cry as he asks “Can I see him one last time before he-.” The raccoon couldn’t finish the sentence.

Kalika nodded as she and all the other specialists got up and escorted Rocket back to Groot’s room. On the way back, they pass the waiting room where a few familiar faces greeted them.

“Gammy? Drax? Nebula? Kraglin? Mantis? Star-Munch?” Rocket was surprised at seeing the other Guardians in the waiting room. “What- what are you guys doing here?”

“We figured that you needed some moral support while Groot recovers.” Drax answered for the others as he placed an arm around Rocket. “I would’ve wanted the same if my wife and daughter had a chance to be saved after Thanos slaughtered my people.”

“That’s very kind of you guys.” Rocket acknowledged their kind gesture towards him. “But...” He paused, the next words tough for him to say. “Groot’s going to be taken off of life support.” The other Guardians were saddened at the news as they joined Rocket in walking down the long lonely ICU corridor to Groot’s room.

When they arrived, the Guardians all stood around Groot’s bed in a semi-circle. There were two nurses already there to clean Groot’s wounds and treat them with a special ointment before covering them up with gauze wrappings. Groot also was recently given a sponge bath and had a fresh diaper and gown on him. He was still alive, but just barely and the machines that were hooked up to him were doing the breathing for him. His entire face and body were extremely swollen and Groot’s expression told the Guardians, especially Rocket that he was in extreme pain and wanted it all to just go away. Rocket didn’t have the heart to tell Groot that it would be over with soon.

The other nurses left the room. Kalika was still present to oversee the Guardians saying goodbye to one of their own and then she would turn off all the machines that were keeping Groot alive. Moments later, the coroner stood at the doorway with a cadaver cart that he would transport Groot on once he died and take him to the morgue that was in the basement of the facility so an autopsy could be performed on him to determine what injuries contributed to his eventual death. The coroner also had in his possession a fountain pen in his front pocket and laying on the cart was Groot’s death certificate. It was already filled out, the only things that were missing was Groot’s cause of death and the date and the time of his death.

The pastor entered the room and said a final prayer for Groot before the Guardians said their goodbyes to the teenager.

Up first was Mantis. She placed her hand upon Groot’s forehead to see if she could read his thoughts.

“I-I can’t tell what he’s thinking!” Mantis wailed as she trembled. “It’s unending darkness!” Drax then picked her up and carried her to a chair.

Nebula approached Groot’s bed. “Hey, Groot. I know that we didn’t actually get along all that well and you were scared to death of me when I first came to visit but, you eventually got used to seeing me everyday and became less scared. Even Gamora said over these past few weeks you were starting to look at me as your Aunt Nebby.” Nebula reminisced to Groot. “I’ll always be your Aunt Nebby, no matter what.” She added before she got up and walked over to where Drax and Mantis were sitting.

Kraglin walked up to Groot next. “Hey, Twig.” He greeted the teen, hoping Yondu’s nickname for Groot would miraculously wake him up. Nothing. Kraglin thought of something to say. “Remember the time that we went to Terra for a weekend vacation of rest and relaxation? And on our last night we were looking for some place fancy to eat? And every other place was either closed, out of business, or didn’t want to serve a mangy raccoon or a fat guy who refuses to wear a shirt.”

“Hey! I’m not a mangy raccoon!” Rocket snarled at Kraglin.

“And I’m not fat, I’m buff!” Drax corrected the Xandarian.

“Oh, yeah?” Rocket challenged. “Then why can’t ya wear a shirt? They make em big enough for fattys!” He roared as Drax charged towards the raccoon.

“I CAN’T HELP IF I HAVE SENSITIVE NIPPLES!” Drax exclaimed.

“OH, REAL CLASSIC! THE ‘SENSITIVE NIPPLE’ EXCUSE!” Rocket mocked. “LIKE WE HAVEN’T HEARD IT A MILLION TIMES BEFORE!”

Peter and Gamora separated the two before they got to each other and got into fisticuffs. Peter using all his strength to hold Drax back and Gamora holding Rocket in her arms after he leaped into the air.

“ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!” Gamora yelled at the two. “This is not the time for you two to be fighting. Now, calm down and apologize to each other.”

“Rocket, I’m sorry for my sudden outburst.” Drax said as he bowed his head in submission.

“And I’m sorry that I called you fat.” Rocket apologized. “Hey, do you and your sensitive nipples wanna get some Ben & Jerry’s later?”

“Small friend, it would be a pleasure to get some Terran Ice Cream with you.” The Destroyer accepted Rocket’s offer.

Kraglin waited for everything to settle back down before he continued to talk to Groot. “Anyways, as I was saying, Groot, that night, the only place that was open was Souplantation. Quill was tired of trying to find some place that would please everybody. Long story short, I guess that’s where my soup addiction came from. And I remember the time when I babysat you and there was no soup for us to eat. You showed me that cereal is the breakfast version of soup and all the different sugary types got me addicted to cereal now.That brings me to my next point, I’m sorry about sneaking out of the house to go to the soup kitchen the other night. I knew that it would embarrass you, but Drax dared me to or he would show Quill my secret soup stash...” Kraglin looked around at everybody. “...And now that that secret is out...” Kraglin regrets talking about his secret soup stash out in front of everybody. “Anyways, Twig, when ya meet back up with Yondu in Heaven, tell him that I’m holding down the fort and keeping Quill in line.”

Kraglin got up and traded places with Drax, who sat next to Groot.

“Hey, Groot.” Drax began. “I know that you and me weren’t the best of friends, but I’ll never forget the fun times that we’ve had together.” Drax wipes a tear from his face. “All the times I rocked you to sleep when you were on my shoulder, all the play fighting we would do just for fun and you teaching me how to turn invisible.” Drax chuckled to himself. “I’m sorry for calling you ‘dumber, smaller Groot’ and ‘dumb tree.’ I didn’t want it to sound mean to you. I’ll miss you Groot. Do me a favor and tell my wife and daughter that I’m doing good.”

With that, Drax sat back down where Mantis, Nebula, and Kraglin were. It was now Gamora’s turn to reflect on her time with Groot.

Gamora brushed some of Groot’s moss out of his closed eyes as she began to speak softly to him. “Hey, baby. Oh, sweetie, you’ve grown up so much since you were little. I remember all of us, especially Rocket getting excited when you started to move in your little pot. He was so happy and overfilled with joy when you stretched your little arms out and yawned. We all remember when you started to talk for the first time. Sure, all you could say was ‘I am Groot.’ But he was so happy and he took it upon himself to teach us how to understand you. When it was time for you to leave your pot for the first time, Rocket placed you on the kitchen counter to get you ready for your bath. But you wanted some cookies first, and Rocket kept telling you ‘No.’ You waited until his back was turned and you extended your little arms until you reached the shelf the cookies were on and you lifted yourself up to them. Well, your coordination wasn’t the best, so you fell over and luckily I caught you before you hit the ground.” Gamora smiled. “Rocket and I checked you out and saw that you had two very strong legs that were scrunched up in that pot and it was time for you to stretch them out. At first you were crawling, then we had to baby-proof the entire house so you wouldn’t get into stuff that you shouldn’t have been near. Rocket was against the idea of having to keep all his weapons under lock and key, but better safe than sorry. And then you started to grow up as soon as you started school and we were all proud of you.”

“We love you, baby.” Gamora finished before she kissed Groot on the forehead and got up from her seat and rejoined the others as Peter got up to talk to Groot.

“Hey there, Groot.” Peter began as he sat next to Groot. “I know that these last couple of years you weren’t the most well-behaved kid and that’s kinda my fault.” Peter looked at Rocket as the raccoon stared at the humie. “But, not once did I not think of you as my son. I know that Rocket is technically your adoptive father and he did most of the work needed with raising you. The truth is, Groot, is that each of us had a hand in helping to raise you, and in turn, you taught us new things and together, all of us became a family. A dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.”

Peter patted Groot on his shoulder as he stood up. It was now Rocket’s turn to say his farewells to the one person that his whole life revolved around. As the raccoon walked to Groot’s bedside, he couldn’t help be reflect on Groot’s life. Not just when this Groot was reborn, but from the very first time he met the Original Groot back when Original Groot and him were both experiments and prisoners on Halfworld.

“Groot, I know that you and me haven’t had the sort of traditional father-son relationship these past few years when you became a teenager, and especially since you’ve entered your rebellious stage and started to defy all the rules I set down for you.” Rocket struggles to say as he fights back the tears. “But- but, I wish that I had been more stern with you. If I’d put my foot down when you started to disobey us, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Rocket held Groot’s hand as he struggled to look at his son through tear-shot eyes. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t the father that you wanted. I’m sorry that I wasn’t the father that you deserved.” Rocket then looked at the other Guardians, specifically Kraglin and Peter. “I wish that I was more like Yondu. If I was, Groot wouldn’t have snuck out the house. Groot wouldn’t have met up with those hooligans and gotten stabbed. Groot wouldn’t be here right now on his deathbed fighting for his life.”

Rocket looked back at Groot. “I failed you, Groot. I tried my best to raise you right and keep you safe from everything and everyone that could hurt you. I should’ve tried harder.”

Rocket stroked Groot’s face in a caring and fatherly manner. “I love you, Groot. I’ll never forget the joy I’ve had in raising you and being your daddy.” He then tucked Groot’s old Bob Ross doll into Groot’s clutched hand.

Rocket then tilted his head towards Kalika. He was ready for her to take Groot off of life support. She pulled the plug on all of the machines and took the breathing tube out of Groot’s mouth.

“Go on, Groot. Go to Heaven. Be free of this pain.” Rocket sobbed to his son as Groot’s breathing became more sporadic and his heartrate started to slow down. “Go to Bob Ross.”

With that, Groot’s heart stopped beating, the heartrate monitor flatlining, letting out the lone, long beep that signaled Groot’s death.

The coroner came in and filled out Groot’s time of death on his death certificate while Kalika disconnected all of the IV lines and monitors from his body. The coroner and Kalika then picked up Groot’s lifeless body and placed him on the cadaver cart to be taken to the morgue. Rocket was overcome with emotion when Kalika draped a white blanket over Groot, offering him one final look at his son before she covered the teen’s face with the blanket, signifying his passing.

No amount of consoling could satisfy Rocket. With some convincing on Peter’s part, the raccoon obtained clearance to accompany his son down to the morgue before the autopsy began. The other Guardians went home to let Rocket mourn in private. For obvious reasons, Rocket couldn’t be in the room while Groot’s autopsy took place and he wouldn’t see him again until all the funeral arrangements were made.

As Rocket walked into the morgue, Kalika and the coroner placed Groot on a cold table so that the autopsy could take place. The teen was washed clean and incision lines were drawn all over his body in preparation. Groot was stripped of his gown and diaper, the only thing on him was a damp washcloth covering his loin area. Groot just looked like he was just sleeping, but Rocket knew that this wasn’t true. All of the instruments on the side table said otherwise, as he knew that they would dissect Groot piece by piece to determine how he died.

Rocket climbed on a nearby stool to see his son one last time. He looked at his son in silence for five minutes until the coroner was ready to begin the autopsy with his assistant.

“Well, Groot, I’ll see you later.” Rocket sobbed as he held Groot’s hand. It was now time for Rocket to leave.

As the coroner grabbed one of the scalpels and hovered it above Groot’s chest, Rocket began to let go of Groot’s hand. As the scalpel came down, Rocket thought he could feel Groot’s grip on his hand. Rocket couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Groot grasping his father’s hand on his own. Could Groot be alive?

The coroner and Kalika check Groot for a pulse and find that Groot has a weak pulse. They perform an emergency intubation on him to make him breathe again before taking Groot back up to the emergency department for immediate care and scans as to him coming back from the dead.

Rocket couldn’t believe it as he got out his cell phone to call the other Guardians. The impossible has happened: Groot was alive again.

[bevioletskies]

what a wonderful world

characters: peter/gamora, guardians-centric

summary: the guardians’ last holiday season had been spent in jail on an alien planet (don’t ask), so peter’s determined to make their first real christmas on earth the best it can be. which, of course, means secret santa. and snowball fights. and baking cookies. and yeah, okay, maybe he’s getting a little ambitious.

word count: 25.4k

a/n: quick disclaimer - i had the plot outline of this fic done back in september and finished writing this in mid-november, so any resemblance to other people’s christmas fic, especially the 12 days of starmora, is purely coincidential. there are only so many holiday-related concepts haha

if you haven’t read the main fic, all you need to know is: the guardians attend a superhero school on earth, and therefore are approximately ten years younger than their movie counterparts. peter and gamora are in an established relationship after being in a fake one for a few months.

unlike the other one-shots, this is more a collection of vignettes than a linear story. everything is still in chronological order, but it’s implied that there’s a gap between each segment, and there’s no overarching plot other than, you know, christmas. happy holidays, everybody!

title comes from the song what a wonderful world by louis armstrong.

ao3 | tag | masterpost

“Oh, what a ni-i-ight,” Peter sang, hopping up onto the kitchen counter in the process. “Late December, back in '63…” A sudden slam on the table behind him caused him to nearly tumble right off the edge, his voice coming to an abrupt stop with a high-pitched squeal that he couldn’t say he was proud of. He turned slowly, wincing a little at the sound of his pant pocket studs dragging across the countertop.

“Peter, it’s too early for this nonsense,” Gamora said sternly. “I’d like at least another hour of sleep before we have to go check on the engine.”

“Dance with me, honey!” Beaming, he leaped back onto the floor and took her hands in his in one swoop, doing what she supposed was meant to be an intentionally awful impression of a jig, swinging her about the living room with reckless abandon. “But I was never gonna be the same, what a lady, what a night…”

“Did you drink an entire pot of coffee this morning? Or maybe some motor oil? What is happening? Even you aren’t usually this...hyper.” Gamora reluctantly allowed him to pull her closer, his hands coming to rest on the small of her back. She softened at the touch, knowing it was difficult to be mad at him when he was simply just eager to celebrate. “Peter…”

“Indulge me for like, one minute. Please.”

Oh, what a night...hypnotizing, mesmerizing me...she was everything I dreamed she'd be...sweet surrender, what a night…

“Fine, but we’re fixing that engine as soon as we’re done. I can’t imagine it didn’t ice over during last night’s snowfall,” she sighed as they slowed to a two-step, resting her head on his shoulders, standing slightly on her toes to reach. Her arms wound around his middle, clasping behind his back, inhaling the scent of the gingerbread cologne Mantis had gotten him as an early Christmas present. She usually wasn’t one for sweet scents, but secretly, she had gotten so comfortable nestled in Peter’s embrace that even the worst of perfumes couldn’t deter her for long.

Peter leaned down into her, nuzzling his face into her neck. “Of course, Gamora. Whatever you want.” He hummed quietly. “Love you.”

Her gaze flickered around the room briefly before landing back on the boy tucked against her. “I love you, too.”

Oh, what a night...why'd it take so long to see the light...seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right...what a lady, what a night…

Once the song was over, the two of them bundled up in their warmest winter coats and gingerly made their way off the Milano onto the loading bay, where they could get a proper look at the damage done during the night. It was mid-December, exams had finished, and most students had already left campus to go home for the holidays to be with their families. For the Guardians, “home” and “family” meant staying right here on this very ship. A ship that was currently dripping with wet, messy slush.

“Are you sure we don’t need Rocket?” Gamora asked. “He would be much better suited to this sort of thing.”

“You try draggin’ him out here in this weather,” Peter retorted. “If it was up to me, we’d all be hiding out in the dorms and leave the Milano alone for the next couple weeks, but he refuses to leave. Snow’s pretty heavy this year.”

“And once again, you and I are responsible for making food and supply runs,” she sighed, picking up a snow scraper and beginning to work on a large section of icy buildup over the engine’s hatch. “They complain about never getting to spend time with us, and yet they never come along when we actually go anywhere, arguably the best time to talk.”

“Well, we’ve got two full weeks ahead of us,” he said, flinging his arms out dramatically and nearly spraying her with snow in the process. “That's tons of time for just hanging out, even with our ship frozen over. At least it gives us an excuse to cancel all our jobs.”

Gamora’s gloved fingers slid over the hatch’s door handle, tightening their grip. She braced herself with one foot against the side of the ship and yanked - hard. The door opened with a violently high-pitched shriek, causing Peter to jump and clasp his hands over his ears. “And yet, we’re still working.”

“I think I’m deaf now,” Peter said dizzily, rubbing his palms over his temples. “You’ve deafened me.”

“This might be the worst way to spend our anniversary,” she continued, ignoring Peter’s antics as she began poking around inside with her wrench. “But at least I’m becoming more competent at this sort of thing, you know, working on the ship. At least, that’s what Rocket says, and the fact he even thought to say so tells me it’s actually true.”

“Hey, you remembered,” he grinned, moving forward to squeeze her hips affectionately. “I wasn’t gonna bring it up, but - ”

“ - but you thought I wouldn’t want to hear it,” she finished, turning to face him. “I know, I know. Peter, I promise I’m as invested in this relationship as you are. It’s just that I find anniversaries to be a superficial celebration of the passage of time, that’s all. I enjoy milestones, accomplishments, instead. They’re much more memorable than a singular date on the calendar to me. They mean more.”

“I get it. I totally get it. And you’ve always been a goal-setter.” He gently kissed her on the nose, sliding his arms around her once more. There was something immensely comforting about holding her close. “What’s been your favorite milestone so far?”

She chewed on her lip in consideration, thinking his question over, her hands coming to settle on his chest. “The first time we woke up together as a couple. You rolled right over, held me just like this, and said what I had been thinking - that it felt like we had already been together forever.”

“I was kinda worried that I made you uncomfortable as soon as I said it,” he admitted. “But you really know how to surprise me sometimes.”

“Believe me, I’ll let you know if I’m uncomfortable,” Gamora laughed. “I’m never one to shy away from speaking my mind.” She patted him on the backside very suddenly, causing Peter’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. “Come on, now. Let’s get to work. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back inside, have breakfast, and watch one of those Christmas movies you keep telling me about.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Peter said cheerfully, stepping back to let her begin.

Two hours later, Yondu stumbled out of his bedroom, yawning, blearily rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, only to let out a startled cry at the sight of the two bodies curled up on the couch together. “Aw, hell, it’s too early for this!”

“It’s 10 AM, Yondu, you missed breakfast,” Gamora said without looking away from the television screen. “And you’ll have to cancel your date tonight, everything’s frozen over. I wouldn’t go out in that weather if I were you.”

Peter lifted his head from Gamora’s lap. “You had a date?”

“Why you sound so surprised, boy?” Offended, Yondu flicked the toothpick he was chewing on in Peter’s direction before ambling into the kitchen, digging around the pantry for some bread. “Just some cute SHIELD agent, that’s all. No biggie.”

“Is everyone tryna find dates for the Christmas party or something? Even Mantis said she might give it a shot with that girl she likes,” Peter asked, confused.

“We can’t all be as lucky as you two,” Rocket drawled, emerging from his own room, Groot in tow on his shoulder as always. “Some of us don’t get to spend every damn day hanging out with our girlfriends.” He sneered the last word like it was something dirty.

It was Yondu’s turn to be surprised, the butter knife hovering halfway in the air. “You sayin’ you had a girlfriend before, rat?”

Rocket’s face suddenly shut down, the usual smirk fading away in favor of anger. “Shut up.”

“It was just a question,” Yondu said defensively, though he bowed his head in apology. Peter glanced up at Gamora, exchanging curious looks with her before settling back down against her thighs, her fingers moving to massage his scalp.

“Hey, uh, Rocket, Gamora and I already defrosted the engine and did a performance check, so you don’t have to worry about that today,” Peter called, watching cautiously as he crossed the room to pull down one of the main holo-screens.

“That’s good. Thanks, Quill,” Rocket said tersely, keeping his back to them as he began navigating through the ship’s interface.

“Do you have plans this weekend, Rocket?” Gamora asked tentatively, her fingers beginning to slow to a near stop.

“Yeah, uh. I was gonna hang out with Groot. Maybe go over that vocabulary book you guys bought him.” The tension in his shoulders eased up a little as Groot snuggled a little into his cheek in gratitude. “Probably do it alone.”

“Are you sure you don’t want help? I mean, now that Gamora and I can understand him too, it’ll be less work for you,” Peter suggested.

Rocket slammed a paw very suddenly against the holo-screen, aggressively closing all the menus he had pulled up. “Y’know what, I don’t think I wanna hang around in here if everyone’s gonna be all talky-talky, alright? I’m gonna go work upstairs instead. No one follow me, I ain’t in the mood.” Groot let out a small whine of protest as Rocket set him down on the coffee table before storming off up the ladder.

“I shouldn’t’ve asked,” Yondu sighed as he settled down at the table with his breakfast. “Rat’s been real tetchy lately. Y’think it’s just the weather? Or something school-related, maybe?”

“It’s Rocket,” Gamora shrugged as if was the only answer they needed. “He’s got a temper, and asking him about it will only make it worse. Just leave him be for now. He’ll come to us if it’s really important.”

“Peter?” A very nervous-looking Mantis appeared at the end of the corridor, twiddling her thumbs. “May we talk in private? Please?”

“Yeah, of course.” Peter stood almost instantly, concerned, squeezing Gamora’s shoulder before moving to join Mantis in her room. She hastily shut the door behind them, a wild, almost terrified look in her eyes. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I am so scared,” Mantis whispered, taking shaky steps forward into Peter’s chest. His arms went up around her shoulders, pulling her in tight. “I do not know what to do.”

“Don’t know what to do about what?”

“What do...what do you do when you have romantic feelings for two people at the same time?”

Oh. Out of all the worst-case scenarios that had been racing through his mind in the last thirty seconds, he hadn’t expected that. Peter’s heart broke a little for his sister at the very thought. In many ways, he had been lucky with his relationship with Gamora. He had never experienced truly deep, romantic feelings for anyone before her, and although it had taken them a while to get to where they were now, neither of them ever wavered, never found themselves even considering the possibility of liking someone else at the same time. He wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t make Mantis feel worse. “I don’t know, Mantis, I...I never had that happen before. But you can talk it through with me if that...if it helps?”

He gently led her over to the bed, where they sat side-by-side, their socked feet pulled up onto the mattress. She was curled into herself now, arms wrapped protectively around her legs, her chin resting on her knee, staring unblinkingly at the door opposite them. She had never looked so childlike before, so completely and utterly lost, at least, not since they had first found her on Ego. “I know what you have all been thinking. About who it is. And you were incorrect. At least, at first.”

“You mean…” Peter swallowed.

“Yes,” Mantis murmured. “And I am worried that the rest of you have put that thought into my head, instead of it forming on its own. Does that make any sense?”

“You’re worried we’ve pressured you into thinking you have feelings for her,” he said carefully. “Mantis, I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have pushed you so hard to talk about all this. It’s your feelings, not ours.”

“It has been very difficult for me,” she admitted. “I am not very good at understanding myself sometimes. But I want to. I want to know who I am, outside of being someone else’s person. Ego’s assistant, your sister, a member of the Guardians...who am I, Peter? And what is it that I want? What am I meant for?”

“I think those are questions only you get to answer,” he replied, reaching to squeeze her hand. “But if you need help figuring that out, I’m here for you, okay? And maybe it’ll help if you try talking to Gamora, too. She’s gotten pretty good at helping me with my emotional crises,” he added with a chuckle. “Knowing yourself before you get involved with someone else is usually a good idea. She’ll probably tell you the same thing.”

“You think so?” Mantis sniffled a little, wiping at her watery eyes.

“Gamora’s been through hell and back, we all know it. And I don’t think she would’ve even considered dating me if she couldn’t feel good about herself. And, y’know, maybe that doesn’t apply to everyone, because hell, no one’s sure of themselves all of the time. But if you’re super stressed out about it, then maybe you should start there. You can do it, Mantis. I believe in you.” He wrapped her in a big hug, kissing the top of her head.

She curled into him, laughing softly. “You have become so good at this, Peter. Advice-giving, I mean.” He was pleased to hear her voice already coming back stronger, warmer, like it always did.

“Comes with the job, I guess,” Peter shrugged. “Leader, brother, boyfriend. All of the above.”

“I’m sure Gamora would agree with me that you are doing an excellent job at all three,” Mantis grinned in return.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Gamora was tapping her foot idly as she waited, though she was keeping a steady eye on Groot. “I am Groot,” he pouted, burying himself deeper into the couch cushions as if he were attempting to disappear entirely. She immediately wrapped a hand around his middle and dragged him back out, frowning at him.

“I told you, no opening presents until the day of,” she said sternly. “Some people haven’t even gotten their gifts yet. Peter, for example.”

“I heard my name, did ya miss me?” Peter strolled back in with a cheesy smile on his face, arms open wide. Gamora glanced up at him, unimpressed.

“You’ve been gone for all of ten minutes, Peter. The silence was welcome,” she snarked, though she moved to lay her head on his chest the instant he sat back down. His broad shoulders made for a surprisingly comfortable pillow. “Groot’s complaining about not getting to open presents yet, despite the fact we have almost none ready, and we haven’t even gotten the tree yet. You were the one who insisted on us fulfilling holiday traditions this year.”

“I’ve been busy. Finals were awful,” Peter said defensively, wrapping his arms around her. “We’ve got time, and besides, the weather’s awful. No one’s getting a tree today. We’ll be lucky if we can even leave the ship tomorrow.”

Sighing, Gamora pulled up the blanket around them, releasing Groot so he could run up Peter’s torso and settle in on his other shoulder. “I suppose it’s better than last Christmas. I still don’t know how you ended up landing in jail, and then when we went to bail you out, we somehow got arrested, too.”

“I think that duchess liked me a little too much,” he said lazily, letting his head fall against the armrest.

“She had the most irritating voice I’ve ever heard in my life, and that’s saying something.” Gamora began picking at a piece of invisible lint on Peter’s sweater, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Is that jealousy I detect in your voice?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes, poking him in the stomach with a sharp fingernail. “You have some odd fascination with the idea that I’d be jealous of anyone romantically attracted to you. Besides, I wasn’t attracted to you at the time, so that doesn’t even count.”

“I am Groot,” Groot countered, his eyes wide as he watched them converse. It seemed to be one of his favorite pastimes.

“Exactly, thank you, Groot,” Peter said triumphantly. “So you’re saying there was a time.”

“Well.” Gamora turned her head entirely so her face was practically buried in the back of the couch. “It’s hardly a secret that I was suspicious of your relationship with Cindy. But that’s only because you were my ‘boyfriend’ already, and I was concerned about how it was going to look to others if you were interested in another girl, and why are we still discussing this? We should be talking about you not going holiday shopping yet, even though you were the one practically begging us to do this Secret Satan - ”

Peter let out a choked laugh. “It’s...it’s Santa, honey. Satan’s a different...uh...person.”

She frowned, her irritation growing. “Does it matter?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna get those two mixed up.” He lifted a hand to run his fingers through her hair affectionately, his thumbs running soothing circles over her temples. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. I just find it kinda cute whenever you get your references crossed. It gives me like, the weirdest visuals. Santa with a pitchfork and a tail - ” He cut himself off with a snort. She continued to look irked. “I’m not making fun of you, I promise. Please don’t murder me.”

“You’re lucky I like you.” She pinched him in retaliation. “Well, I already did my shopping with Mantis and Drax. Groot made Rocket and Yondu take him last week, which they claim is the reason they did rather subpar on their exams - as always, I’ve chosen not to listen to them - so that leaves you and - ”

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Peter turned over, groaning into the cushions. “Please don’t tell me I’m going Christmas shopping with Nebula. I take back my request, murder me now.” ______

Quill.” A curt nod, refusal of eye contact, arms folded across her chest. Yes, that was Nebula, alright.

It wasn’t that Peter didn’t like Nebula - in fact, he liked her just fine, more than ever thought he would when they had first met on Knowhere while she was on a rampage, hunting Gamora down and nearly killing them all in the process - but it was rather the fact that, well, he was still kind of terrified of her. Just the tiniest bit. And who could blame him? She had a tendency to lurk in the background, no matter where they were or what they were doing. She somehow managed to fade into her surroundings, silently observing, whether during team meetings or dinner. And then, very suddenly, she would have a snarky quip or a violent outburst, the latter of which would cause Peter to have what felt like a mild heart attack.

However, Peter knew Nebula was of the utmost importance to Gamora. Despite constantly butting heads, he knew when it came down to it, the two sisters loved each other fiercely, though they would never outright admit it. He wanted to understand Nebula better, not just for Gamora’s sake, but for the sake of the entire team. He knew her general personality, her behaviors, her quirks, so to speak, but still knew so little of what she would be like as a teammate.

“This doesn’t have to be weird,” Peter told her as they got into the car (a cozy little hatchback, courtesy of Stark as always). “Why would it be weird? It’s just you...and me...hanging out together. Like we’ve...we’ve never done before.”

“Are you going to insist on talking the whole way?” Nebula buckled her seatbelt and promptly kicked her snow-covered boots up onto the dashboard, spraying little shards of ice everywhere, including the console, the emergency brake, and Peter’s arm.

“I could put the radio on instead,” he offered.

“Are you incapable of complete and total silence?” Nebula asked. “Or is it just that you like the sound of your own voice?”

“Right, I can already tell this is going to be a freaking joyride,” he muttered under his breath.

A couple hours of awkward silence later, the two of them arrived at the nearest mall, which, as predicted, was crowded with panicked shoppers, screaming children and babies, and salespeople who looked all of five seconds away from bursting into tears. Peter had to circle the parking lot at least three times before he managed to snatch up a spot furthest from the entrance, resulting in him slipping several times as they walked towards the doors. Nebula rolled her eyes at every last occurrence.

“Well, aren’t you the picture of grace,” she sighed when they finally reached the doors, yanking them open and practically stomping in. Peter could only watch in bewilderment as she began shaking more snow off her boots, not unlike a small dog. However, when she moved as if to make a run for it, he jumped forward to catch her wrist.

“Hey, hey, I promised Gamora we’d stick together, so you aren’t going anywhere without me,” he said firmly.

“And you do everything my sister tells you to do?” Nebula snorted.

“I do when she’s right, which is at least ninety-nine percent of the time,” he admitted. “Come on, let’s grab a store map and figure out where we’re going.”

There was a pause, though it wasn’t the kind of pause Nebula took when she was contemplating the various methods she had to kill a man, but an unreadable pause that made Peter shiver a little. Finally, she said, “Fine, but I want to go to the food court first.”

“Uh...not that I’m saying no, but why?”

“Iwanuhprezl.” She immediately turned on her heel away from him, though this time, she didn’t take another step.

“I...I didn’t catch that, what’d you say?”

“I want a pretzel,” Nebula mumbled. Peter blinked. Out of all the things he’d been expecting, this might’ve been at the very bottom of his nonexistent list. Still, he was pretty sure if he tried poking at what she’d just said, it would only result in broken fingers.

“I...okay, yeah, I could go for a pretzel,” he shrugged. They walked in silence towards the food court, Peter with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and Nebula’s stiffly at her side, her fingers tapping impatiently on the small pocket knife stashed on her belt (the only weapon Peter had allowed her to take). Then he brightened. “Hey, what kind of pretzel do you usually get? Savory? Sweet? Do you get dip? As a kid, I always wanted cinnamon sugar with caramel but my mom told me my teeth would literally rot of my head, but that didn’t scare me because I was like, ‘sweet, I wanna be a zombie!’ because apparently, the only word I heard was ‘rot’, and uh, you don’t care, so never mind.”

Silence. Then, “I want a cheese pretzel dog. I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Solid choice,” Peter nodded. “I can respect that.”

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were sitting at one of the bar tables in the food court, devouring their respective pretzels. Peter was secretly pleased to see Nebula was eating at what he considered to be the ‘normal’ pace now. Even six months ago, she often ate like her food was going to get pulled out from under her any second, having become used to literally fighting for scraps. Like Gamora, he never wanted to see Nebula lose her confidence or her strength, but he was happy to see her becoming more relaxed in her own way, now that she was realizing she no longer had to fight to live.

“So I’m guessing you’re not gonna tell me who you got for Secret Santa,” he said. “Can I at least guess?”

“No.” She took a particularly vicious bite. Peter wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting.

“Well, it’s gotta be a better Christmas than last year, considering you spent two weeks stuck with Yondu while we were in jail,” he continued, undeterred, chuckling a little at the memory.

“I retreated to my dorm the moment it stopped snowing,” Nebula said, rolling her eyes. “You really think I was going to spend more time with that idiot than necessary?”

“Hey, that’s not fair. Give Yondu some credit, at least he’s trying to be your friend,” Peter protested. “Do you really hate him that much?”

“Why are you asking me so many questions?” she shot back, slamming her food down onto the table. It made an unpleasant squelching noise beneath her fingers in the process. “Did Gamora ask you to spy on me?”

“No!” he exclaimed. “She just wants me to look after you, but it’s not like she wants me to report back or anything. I just wanna get to know you better, that’s all. We never talk.”

“For a reason.” She stuffed the pretzel back in her mouth, chewing loudly. “Out of all the Terrans that I’ve met, I can’t believe it’s you that my sister has gone soft for.”

“Do you...do you think I’m bad for her?” Had he ever actually asked Nebula what he thought of his relationship with her sister? The idea had honestly never crossed his mind. It was silly in hindsight that he’d never considered it, since Gamora put more weight into Nebula’s opinions than she wanted to admit. Surely, she would have voiced her disapproval by now.

“Why does it matter what I think?”

“Because you’re the most important person in the whole damn world to Gamora, that’s why,” he said fiercely, leaning forward. “And if you think she deserves better, I wanna know why. I wanna know how I can do better.”

Nebula was first to break eye contact, instead electing to stare at her feet. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I think of you if you agree to never ask me again, and never tell Gamora we had this conversation.” He nodded eagerly in response. “You’re loud, obnoxious, overly dramatic, too energetic, and you never stop pestering all of us about being ‘family’.” Pausing, she lifted her head, narrowing her pitch-black eyes as if to examine him. “But...I suppose Gamora and I have never had someone so invested in our well-being in a very long time, or at least one who never expects anything in return. You make a decent leader when you actually try, though your speeches are horrendous. And I...trust you enough to eventually help us in our quest to kill Thanos, though I doubt you’ll survive the attempt.”

“Still thinking about that, huh?” he chuckled to himself, ignoring the passive-aggressive comments that were quintessential to really anything Nebula ever said. It seemed like eons ago since they first began seriously discussing going after Thanos, ending his terrifying reign once and for all, but he hadn’t made any moves in the last little while, giving the Guardians hope that they would have more time to prepare. Still, Peter knew Nebula was more anxious about it than anyone, even her sister. Her desperation for Thanos’s approval had been flipped on its side, now channeled into her hatred for what he had done to her and Gamora.

“You help her forget, even for just a little while, the unspeakable horrors we’ve been through, the horrid acts of pain and slaughter we’ve carried out in the name of a man who has done nothing but hurt us.” There was a twitch at the corner of her mouth that suggested she was attempting a proper smile. “You seem committed to making my sister believe in her self-worth, value her own happiness. So...I guess I can’t really fault you for that. Even if I don't care for either of those things myself.”

“I...wow.” Peter found himself struggling to choose his next words. For once, it wasn’t out of fear of what her reaction (or more accurately, her retaliation) would be, but of complete and utter shock. “Nebula, that’s...I don’t know what to say.”

“So you’re saying I’ve successfully shut you up? Good,” she smirked, though not out of malice. In a way, he felt as if they had reached an understanding of sorts, or at the very least, something of a truce. “Though like I said...if you tell Gamora any of what transpired just now, I will kill you.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” he laughed, bunching up his paper wrapper. “You ready to go?”

Shopping didn’t go quite as smoothly as Peter had anticipated, considering their conversation had ended on such a high note. Nebula was evasive when Peter tried to figure out where she wanted to go to get her Secret Santa gift, and the frequency of her eye-rolling increased tenfold once he requested they pick out more Christmas decorations for the ship.

“Don’t blame me, we were all too busy to go shopping during exams,” Peter said defensively. “Just help me pick out the damn Christmas lights. Should we get multi-colored? White? Red and green? These weird purple-y ones? I dunno what’s up with those.”

“Considering the ship is obnoxiously colorful, get white for general use and multicolor for the tree.” He stared at her in disbelief. She suddenly seemed to have realized she had put too much thought into her answer. “It’s obvious, you idiot.” That was more like it.

“Mistletoe’s unnecessary since no one’s kissing anyone but me and Gamora,” Peter said as they continued on. “Plus, she’d probably hate the idea of forced PDA.”

“She’s extraordinarily tactile when it comes to you, Quill, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Nebula’s ability to tap her foot impatiently as fast as she was going was starting to give Peter a headache.

“Wasn’t aware I asked for the peanut gallery,” he snarked in return. The confused expression he got in return was worth it.

When they went into the toy store to look for presents for Groot - he was beginning to develop a sizeable collection of plushies as large as he was - Peter found himself swarmed by children who recognized him, asking him to sign bits of paper or their Star-Lord dolls. Beaming, he complied instantly, trying his best to reach everyone in the crowd of approximately thirty people.

“What do you do at that big superhero school of yours?” one brave little one asked him, her eyes so huge that it reminded him of Mantis.

“Well, we just finished exams,” Peter said. At the kids’ disappointed faces, he hastily added, “But we had to fight this woman who came from Asgard last month - y’know, that place where Thor is from? - and it turns out she was the goddess of death!”

“Ooh,” said about seven different tiny voices in near-perfect synchronicity.

“How did ya beat her?” one skeptical boy asked.

“There was this other woman who came to help defeat the goddess of death - her name is Valkyrie, you might’ve seen her on the news. Super cool, white marks on her face, big blue cape? And she got lots of the other girls on campus to help her with all of their weapons, and powers, and skills, to send the goddess of death back to where she came from,” Peter explained. “Oh, Nebula for example. She was one of them.” He gestured towards her.

“Are you a hero too, miss?” One of the littlest girls took a step closer towards Nebula. She looked no older than four. Peter shot her a pleading look over the girl’s head. He knew by now that Gamora had grown comfortable with dealing with admiring children, while Nebula still snarled at Groot when she was feeling particularly tempestuous.

“It varies from day to day,” she drawled, folding her arms across her chest. That seemed to satisfy the girl well enough, as she stepped back to join the rest of the crowd once more.

“Tell us more about the Val’krie!” one girl begged.

Peter chuckled. “Sure. Well, I haven’t really hung out with her or anything, but she’s friends with my girlfriend, Gamora - you guys know who she is, right? - and oh, man, watching them train together is super awesome…”

“How could you possibly stand being around those little creatures?” Nebula shuddered. It had been fifteen minutes since they had left the toy store, now armed with bags of free merchandise, courtesy of the manager. “Unpredictable, noisy, obnoxious, asking too many questions...you know what? Never mind. You must be entirely at kin.”

“Har-har,” Peter said sarcastically. “Kids are great when they're not tryna cause trouble. They’re just curious, that's all. You were never like that?”

“You’re asking me to remember a period of my life that has been long removed from memory,” she said darkly. Whether she had simply chosen to forget it, or Thanos had actually physically done something to her memory, Peter wasn’t sure, and he didn’t think it would be right to ask. “Are you telling me Gamora still has memories of childhood?”

“She never talked about it much. She says she remembers bits and pieces about her parents, but she sometimes forgets them entirely,” Peter admitted. “Is it like that for you?”

“As always, you ask too many questions,” Nebula sighed, though she didn’t continue on with another threat. Peter considered that to be a sign of progress. “Oh, there’s that store with too many shirts and toys.”

“Yeah, Hot Topic. Maybe I’ll buy something for Gamora, she loves getting her gloves there,” he replied, grinning easily.

They returned to the school campus a mere hour before dinnertime, loaded with a surprising amount of shopping bags. Nebula was in unusually good spirits after they had come across a stall selling toy weapons. She had insisted upon buying one for both Gamora and Rocket, wanting to plant them among their existing inventory and see how long it would take for them to notice. Peter was just surprised she even understood the concept of a prank in the first place.

“You’re not terrible, Quill,” Nebula said as they pulled up to the entrance gates. “Though I’m definitely not a fan.”

“Fair enough,” Peter replied as he passed their ID cards to the security guard. “You aren’t my favorite either. But we’re cool now, right? Like, less death threats and stuff?”

She side-eyed him before snorting, shaking her head. “Sure, Quill. ‘Less death threats and stuff’. But only because I don’t want to put up with Gamora’s incessant whining if I were to harm a single hair on your head.”

Upon boarding the ship, they were immediately greeted by Gamora, who was sitting by the entrance, twisting the multitude of silver rings that adorned her fingers rather anxiously. “No injuries, I see,” she said dryly as she moved to help them with their bags.

“We’re practically best friends now,” Peter said cheerfully as he began unloading his haul onto the coffee table. “Sorry, Gamora, you’ve been demoted.”

“I’ll get over it,” she shrugged, turning towards her sister. “Nebula?”

“He’s not a total loser,” Nebula replied, unceremoniously dropping all of her bags onto the floor. There was a crunching noise that made both Peter and Gamora wince. “I suppose you could have picked a worse Terran to fall in love with.”

“I think that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard you say about Peter,” Gamora said, smirking as she stepped closer to him, patting him placatingly on the arm. “Don’t you agree?”

“Sure,” Peter said, catching Nebula’s wary gaze. She was practically pleading him to stay silent. “I don’t really pay attention when she’s talking, to be super honest with you.”

Rolling her eyes, Gamora swatted him with a dish towel before pulling him over to the kitchen so they could set the dining table together. Nebula flopped onto the couch, kicking her feet up onto the armrest, smiling a little to herself. Yes, she supposed her sister could have done a lot worse in choosing a companion. But he turned out to be a half-decent leader after all. Friendship, however? That was still an entirely different story. Nebula didn’t want friends, never wanted friends, but...in a strange way, maybe he had become one without her realizing it. Dammit. ______

“Gamora? Are you busy at the moment?” Gamora startled a little from where she was curled up on the couch, looking up from her book. Drax was looming over her, and if she were anyone else, she might have been a little wary about his otherwise serious expression, but if anything, she was just a little annoyed.

“Do you need something?” she asked with a raised brow, sliding her thumb across the page to hold it in place.

“Quill requested that Mantis and I make cookies for the team, but seeing as Mantis has fallen ill…” He trailed off uncertainly.

“You want me to be her substitute.” Gamora nodded in understanding, closing her book and getting to her feet. “Sure, why not?”

Drax gave her a grateful smile before they walked into the kitchen. They worked in silence for a few minutes, gathering up utensils and ingredients in accordance with the recipe Peter had provided them. Unlike the way Drax and Mantis cooked, using Terran recipes they had found in books or online, Peter’s recipe was written down by hand on a notecard. Gamora remembered when he had told her about the way his mother had indexed and revised her recipes, a habit he had since picked up himself. She smiled fondly at the messy scribbles on the card, the way Peter had written “approximately” at least half a dozen times in various spots, unsure of whether he had remembered it exactly right.

“How have you been, Gamora?”

She turned away from the stick of butter she was slicing up to look over her shoulder at Drax. “Fine, I suppose. My exams went well, I did all of my shopping, got all of the team paperwork completed for the year, and - ”

He chuckled, though not unkindly. “I meant your general well-being, not your to-do list. You are usually quite stressed this time of year.”

“Well, I'll tell you a secret, Drax,” Gamora hummed, turning back to the task at hand. “I’m always stressed.” He let out a jovial laugh, a full-bellied chuckle that betrayed his otherwise imposing presence. He passed her the mixing bowl so she could add the butter. “I have relaxed a fair bit since this time last year, though. Probably because of my increasing closeness to the rest of you.”

“It is a delight to see,” Drax nodded. “Your happiness is integral to all of us, Gamora. It would be a shame if you were worn out.” He moved back to the other side of the kitchen to begin working on the dry ingredients. “Quill told me you’re starting your fight classes next month. Are you not concerned about your impending workload?”

“I can handle it.” She smiled a little to herself as she began stirring. “Besides, it’s not like I’m alone in all this. Peter shares my Guardian work, and Nebula and I have an equal hand in fight training. As I’ve said, if there’s anything I’ve learned these past couple of years, being with this team, it’s that we should let other people be part of our lives. There’s value in teamwork.”

“I imagine with the difficult life you led beforehand, it must be a relief to be here.” Drax pulled up a stool and sat down, facing her. It was a little comical, considering the stool was built for an average-sized person while he dwarfed it by a long shot, but he looked quite pensive otherwise.

Drax was certainly a curious one to Gamora, perhaps the sole person of the group that she empathized with the most, and yet understood the least. His single-minded determination to kill her when they had first met told her he was a brute and a bully, someone who couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He spoke with a diverse vocabulary, yet understood little of the semantics of language and socialization, perhaps even less than she and Nebula. Later, she came to understand it was the nature of his people, and she felt shameful to have judged him at all. Now, she had a better sense of his true self - kind, loving, fiercely loyal and protective of those he cared about, and she was glad to be considered one of his loved ones.

She was also grateful that he had never described to her, in detail, the deaths of his family. He had told her the general gist of what had happened, but a part of her always wondered if he still somewhat resented her for it, despite her having no hand in the actual crime.

“Do you still think of her?” Gamora asked quietly.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well…” She hesitated before settling down on a stool herself, opposite him. “A little while ago, Rocket seemed to imply he used to have someone - a significant other, that is. And he said that some people couldn’t be as lucky as Peter and I. It got me thinking, if our relationship made you uncomfortable, or made you feel sad…”

“I do think of Hovat.” Drax folded his hands neatly in his lap. “Perhaps not as often as you might imagine, but every now and then, I have a quiet moment to myself, and I think fondly of her. I think of how we met, the time we spent together. How, had I not invited her over to my family’s home that night, she would not have been killed alongside them. We did not live together yet, but it felt inevitable that we would someday. Now…” He trailed off.

“I wish it could’ve been different for you. You’ll get your vengeance someday, I promise.”

He shook his head, smiling weakly. “No, Gamora. I have no need for revenge any longer. Besides, I believe you and Nebula deserve the chance to kill Thanos just as much as I do, if not much more. Despite having heard very little stories and seen no physical scars, I can only imagine that the pain he inflicted upon both of you is worth his death many times over.”

“We’ll get that bastard someday.” They both turned to see Peter standing in the doorway, wearing a ratty old band T-shirt, yawning and scratching at his belly. “You guys baking in here? Smells good.”

“As per your request,” Drax said, getting to his feet. “Another Terran tradition of yours, yes?”

“Usually, yeah.” Peter kissed Gamora chastely on the forehead before moving to grab the water pitcher from the fridge. “Better tradition than telling your kids about the night you made them.”

“You have such odd hang-ups about intimacy, Quill,” Drax chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

“Uh, would you like it if I told you, in detail, about every single time Gamora and I have sex?” Peter brandished the jug at Drax and ended up splashing water on himself instead.

“I know I wouldn’t,” Gamora said loudly, prodding him in the gut with her foot. “Don’t encourage him, Peter. Next thing you know, he’ll request to be present.” Peter shuddered at the very thought, shuffling several feet away from Drax in response.

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Peter said hastily, grabbing the cough syrup from the coffee table. “Just dropping by to get some stuff for Mantis.” He gave them an awkward wave before slowly backing away down the corridor. Gamora couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his antics.

“Such a strange one, that Quill,” Drax commented once Peter was out of sight. “But I must admit, he has become more and more valuable these days. I could not imagine the team without him.”

“His effort is quite admirable,” Gamora replied with a gentle smile.  They began pulling out the old, rusted cookie sheets, scooping up the dough and divvying out what they hoped to be evenly-sized dough balls. “It’s what all of us should be trying to do, don’t you agree? To be better versions of ourselves?”

“A good way of thinking about it,” Drax nodded. “You have always been the wisest of us all, Gamora. It is one of the many things I admire about you. Though honestly, it was also what made me curious about what you saw in Quill, romantically. His intelligence and maturity seemed lacking in comparison to yours. But I see now that you two hold the utmost respect for each other, understanding and devotion. I liken it to my relationship with Hovat.”

“I can tell by the way you talk about her that she meant everything to you.” Gamora leaned back onto the counter, watching Drax contemplatively as he slid the cookie sheets into the oven, wincing a little at the screeching noise it made. “Do you think you’ll ever seek another romantic relationship again?”

“Part of me worries it will be seen as disrespectful to what I had with Hovat,” Drax said, straightening back up. He looked anguished at the very thought of upsetting her. “In my culture, we believe that the spirit lives on. And perhaps her spirit will curse me for wanting to be with another.” He smiled in remembrance. “But she was not a vengeful person, my Hovat. I believe she would want me to be happy. However, I have yet to meet a person who I wish to share my affections with. Like with Hovat, I think I will see them and just…know. Which is why I choose not to go on those dating websites or ‘apps’ that Quill has told me about.”

“Smart move,” Gamora said dryly. “Well, there’s no rush. You have time.”

“Yes, I do.” Drax grinned a little wider, serene. “There are still many things I hope to do someday. I have already been in love once. I still love her, of course. But falling in love again, it simply isn’t a priority compared to what else life has to offer me. Taking on Thanos at last, for example. Not out of vengeance, but a desire to, well, guard the galaxy. Prevent others from suffering the same fate as my family, as yours. An honorable lifetime endeavor, I would say.”

“And a hefty title and reputation to hold, at that,” Gamora added, holding up her glass of water. Drax let out a merry laugh and clinked his cup against hers, drinking deeply as if it were the finest of wines. ______

Mantis emerged from her bedroom, practically dragging her feet, inhaling loudly. She winced a little at the whistling noise her nose made as she did. She was almost over her flu – she had never fallen ill via Terran sickness before, and it was decidedly unpleasant compared to some alien ailments she had experienced while living with Ego.

She stumbled her way up the ladder to the cockpit, curious about the echoing sound of clanking and clattering. She expected to see Peter there, digging around for some lost trinket or gadget as he often did, blaming his misplaced items on the others as always. To her surprise, she found Rocket instead, who was frantically emptying out a large, worn-out cardboard box, muttering to himself under his breath like a crazed person.

“Rocket? Is everything okay?”

“Quill ain’t here, bug-girl,” Rocket snapped without looking up. “So you can piss off.”

“Do not talk to me like that,” Mantis frowned, getting closer so she could kneel beside him. She was hardly ever deterred by Rocket’s behavior at this point, having gotten too used to his mood swings. “Maybe I can help.”

“Do you know how any of this stuff works?” Rocket gestured at the pile of what looked to be circuit boards and data chips, some of which looked incredibly broken and brittle. “If you don’t, I can repeat what I said earlier.”

“I only want to help,” Mantis repeated. “Tell me what you are looking for and let me try and find it.”

Sighing, Rocket threw down the flash drive he was holding and slumped back onto his hind legs. There was a sense of defeat in him that Mantis rarely ever detected, a resignation in his eyes so unusual it disturbed her. Of all the Guardians, she avoided Rocket the most, only ever interfering with his emotions if another was at risk. Otherwise, she knew he was secretly afraid of her, of what she could do. It still hurt her feelings a little bit, him thinking she would ever manipulate or betray his trust like that, but she understood where he was coming from. Sometimes, she was a bit scared of what she was capable of, too.

“My display’s been all outta whack lately,” he said, picking up the wrist computer he often toted around. “Something inside must’ve literally cracked. But I can’t find a match for the broken piece.” He turned it over to show her the open hatch, where she did indeed see a section with a corner broken off, the minuscule lights stuttering and flashing as if in warning.

“That seems to be quite old,” she said thoughtfully, carefully taking it from him. “Have you considered building a new one? You must be quite the expert in doing so.”

“No!” Rocket exclaimed, yanking it back. “I have to…I have to fix this one. I have to.”

“Okay. Okay.” Mantis held up her hands defensively. “Okay, then let us look. Are there more boxes of these things anywhere else? Have you asked Peter, maybe? This ship has many nooks and crannies we have never been to.”

“I already asked, and this is all we got, so.” Once again, the tightness in his shoulders melted away as he leaned against the box in hopelessness, the tips of his ears drooping. “Oh, this ain’t happening. I’m not gonna be able to do this.” The wrist computer let off an alarming series of sparks as if to agree with him.

“I’m sorry, Rocket.” She worried at her bottom lip, unsure of what to do. She wasn’t sure why this was so important to him, especially right at this very second, but she was determined to stop him from giving up. At least one thing was for certain – she needed to calm him down, not with her powers, but with her words. “Should I go get Peter? He would be more knowledgeable about what to do – ”

“No, no, we ain’t telling Quill about this.” He yanked the device off his arm and threw it so hard that the glass display cracked on impact. “Shit.”

Rocket made no move to pick it up, staring at it with wide eyes, frozen. Mantis crawled forwards to grab it and bring it back, turning it over gently in her hands. “It’s okay. It is only a small crack. The glass will be easy to replace.”

Suddenly snapping out of it, Rocket glared at her like she had been the one to throw it in the first place. “You really don’t get it, do you?” he snarled. “What, you not tryna read my mind or whatever the hell it is you do – ”

“And I have said many times before, I read emotions, not minds,” she said patiently, settling in across from him. “So if you are frustrated because I do not understand you, then make me understand.”

“No.” He shook his head almost violently. “No, no one knows, ‘cept Groot. And I aim to keep it that way.”

“I find another perspective is always helpful,” she offered. When he remained silent, eyes narrowed as if he were contemplating whether to snap the antennae off her forehead, she simply smiled in return. “When I was living on Ego’s planet, all I ever knew, for the longest time, was him. I knew what he thought of the world, what he wanted from the world. And I went along with him because I thought he was clever, I thought he was kind. But that was because I did not know what other beings were like. Then, his children began to appear to us. Children of many different races and backgrounds. Some I knew for weeks. Some for just a few hours, before they would disappoint him. And then they would be gone, just like that. Still, I began to empathize more with the children than with him. I saw different ideas of what it meant to be united, to be a collective group of people, instead of Ego’s idea of The Expansion. To live in harmony. But I did not believe that I would ever be able to leave Ego behind, as I was too used to being with him. I was becoming too reliant. It was not until you all arrived that I began to understand my true purpose. What I was meant to be doing, how I could help.”

Rocket broke eye contact first, casting his gaze down on the floor, arms still folded defensively across his chest. “Yeah, yeah, another perspective. You should really be in charge of that motivational speech crap that Quill’s a big fan of, y’know? At least you don’t ramble on about some TV show no one’s ever seen.” She fixed him with another patient smile before he exhaled slowly, relenting. “You really wanna know?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “I do.”

Another long, shaky exhale. “This…this thing. It didn’t belong to me originally. It belonged to 89P14. Her name was Lylla.” He sniffled so quietly Mantis almost thought she’d imagined it, if not for the wetness on his nose. “We were both…monsters. Created in a lab. Except she wasn’t a monster at all. She was…sweet. Optimistic. Upbeat. A real good soul, y’know? Never gave up hope on thinkin’ we’d be able to escape the lab one day. We lived in cages right next to each other. And when we weren’t being experimented on, we talked. We could talk for hours. And the stupid thing is, it’s not like we had tons to talk about. Neither of us knew any sorta life outside of those cages. But we liked to imagine the kind of adventures we’d get to go on once we got out. It distracted us from the pain we were in.”

“What happened?” Mantis prompted, though she had a sinking feeling she knew what was coming next.

“What else? We got brave…and stupid. Or in Lylla’s case, hopeful. She always had so much hope.” He chuckled weakly. “We tried to escape. Devised a whole plan. It was s’posed to be airtight. But I guess one of the others must’ve heard us, wanted to get us in trouble so we’d get put through the ringer and they’d be left alone. The thing is, the assholes working in the labs, they can’t survive the outside air on Halfworld, so Lylla and I punctured all of their bio-suits ahead of time. But they didn’t know that, so they chased me and her all up and down the complex, aiming to stun, not kill. We were too valuable for that. But then we got to the final gate that would lead to our freedom, and it was stuck. Some stupid freakin’ fingerprint-protected thing, y’know? And Lylla, she was the only one who knew tech better than I did, so she insisted I run ahead and she’d get it open. Like a dumbass, I did what she told me to. I always did. So the gates open, I’m runnin’, and I turn around and she’s just standing there. All the scientists, they start panicking ‘cause the air’s comin’ in. So they just snatch her up and run back for cover. Gate closes. And that’s the last I ever saw of her.”

“Rocket…” Mantis’s eyes watered. She wanted to reach over and comfort him somehow, but the last time she had tried to pet him, it hadn’t gone so smoothly. Her fingers trembled with desperation. “I don’t know what to say. I am so sorry.”

“Par for the course, right?” He tilted his head upwards, staring off into nothing, his dark eyes glossy with tears. “When those assholes were workin’ on me, I was always in pain. Still am sometimes. But never...never here.” He weakly tapped his own chest with a shaking claw. “Not until that day.”

“Tell me.” Rocket turned to look at her in confusion. “Tell me if it ever gets so bad that it physically hurts. My powers are only a temporary solution, but at least it will provide you some relief. It will not make you forget her, or what she meant to you. I promise. Do not hesitate to ask me, Rocket.”

“You gotta let me have some of my pride left intact,” he chuckled half-heartedly. “And it’s stupid – this whole d’ast thing is stupid – but even though it’s just a dumb Terran holiday, Quill going on and on about how this time of year is for family and loved ones just reminds me even more that she’s gone.”

“I know we are no substitute for how you felt about her, but do not ever doubt that we care about you,” Mantis said, smiling warmly. “And…maybe this is a stupid question, but how do you know that Lylla actually died in the lab that day?”

“What…what do ya mean?” There was an almost startling spark of wistfulness in Rocket’s eyes. Mantis found herself worrying that she was already getting his hopes too high.

“Well…say that the contaminated air from the outside got into the lab. All the scientists die. Lylla and the others survive,” she said slowly.

“No, that’s…that’s impossible. They would’ve come outta the lab, I would’ve seen ‘em.”

“Maybe. Or maybe the scientists died a slow death, and the others had to wait. Or maybe they spent some time gathering supplies from the lab, or seeking vengeance upon the people and the place that destroyed them.” Mantis shrugged. “I am just saying, there are many possible outcomes here.”

“So you’re saying…if I had just waited…just a little bit longer…I might’ve seen her again?” His ears drooped once more, shaking his head slowly. “I was just so caught up in the idea of her death that I just ran off when I could've waited.”

“It is only one scenario, Rocket. Do not beat yourself up for what you did or what you could have done,” Mantis said reassuringly. “I am just saying…have some faith. And that includes having faith in this computer of yours. Surely we must be able to find a replacement. If not on this ship, then elsewhere. You do not have to tell the others your reasons in detail. Just tell Peter that it is important to you, and I’m sure he will help.”

“…I could return to Halfworld.” He turned the wrist computer over and over again, as if it possessed some magic qualities that would tell him what to do next. “They’d probably have the parts I need.”

“There you go,” Mantis beamed. “All hope is not lost. It might be too cold to take the Milano out at the moment, but when it gets warmer again, we can go to Halfworld and help in your search.”

“Y’know what? You ain’t so bad, bug-girl,” Rocket said. He reached over to place a paw on her forearm, usually the kind of move that she had to make to placate him. “Maybe it’s all that holiday spirit voodoo crap that Quill’s been talking about, but I’m feelin’ generous, so. Thanks. For…this.”

“I am your friend, whether you admit it or not,” she teased. “I am just glad I can be here for you. I always feel so much anger…resentment…from you. Sometimes even more so than Nebula. I much prefer it when you are happy.”

He grinned toothily, baring his fangs in a way that made Mantis involuntarily flinch a little. “So do I, kid. So do I.” ______

“Well, it’s about d’ast time,” Rocket said triumphantly, watching as Drax hefted the tree a little higher on his shoulder, strolling up the loading ramp of the Milano as if it weighed no more than his backpack. “I was startin’ to think Quill was playing a joke on us, tellin’ us that humies put presents around a tree in their living room. Thought you were tryna mess with Groot or something.”

“I’m not that big of a dick, thank you very much,” Peter grumbled. He was walking closely behind Drax, holding the accompanying stand and tree skirt. “Honey, you got the decorations?”

“I can already tell you went overboard,” Gamora retorted with a resigned sigh as she emerged from the storage closet. She was carrying a large cardboard box that was bursting at the seams, weighed down with Christmas lights, ornaments, and the like, all things Peter had been slowly accumulating over the last month in anticipation of finally celebrating the holiday season on Earth. “I gave you a budget for a reason, Peter.”

“Trust me, you won’t regret it once you see it in action!" He and Drax began setting the tree down in the corner of their already-cramped living area, carefully adjusting the skirt and fanning it outwards to make it look somewhat presentable. The others watched, somewhat unimpressed.

“It’s going to shed everywhere,” Mantis said uncertainly. “Is this really what Terrans do, Peter?”

“You guys won’t doubt me once we get these going,” Peter replied, walking over to Gamora and patting the top of the decoration box. “Come on, everyone jump in!”

“I hope you do not mean literally,” Drax said, apprehensively eyeing the size of the box. The look in his eyes told the others he was mentally calculating how many of them could fit inside.

“I never do, dude. I never do.”

They worked in hesitant silence for the first couple of minutes, an admittedly welcome sound considering the usual chaotic atmosphere of the ship. Nebula was the only one not participating, electing to instead sprawl across the armchair, watching as the others strung up lights, hung up ornaments, and wound some tinsel around the tree. Groot was standing on the very tip of Yondu’s fin in order to place the glittering star on top.

“What are these for?” Mantis asked, pulling out yet another plastic package from the box, the very last of the decorations. Each bag contained oval chalkboard ornaments with a small hole puncture, strung with peppermint-striped ribbon.

“We can personalize those,” Peter suggested. “I was thinking we could write our names, or maybe Christmas-y sayings, or stuff that we loved about this year. There’s fifty of ‘em in there.”

They all shot him dubious looks, unsure of whether they even had enough ideas to fill all fifty chalkboard ornaments. Peter faltered a little at the sight of everyone’s expressions, wondering if once again, he had overdone it in his enthusiasm. But then Gamora stepped forwards first, opening up the plastic package with her teeth and taking out a stack for herself, along with an accompanying piece of white chalk. She settled down on the floor next to Nebula’s feet, bringing her knees up close to her chest, and began carefully sketching out her name in neat script.

Yondu laughed very suddenly, startling Groot, who was still perched on his head. “Oh, hell, why not?” He proceeded to do the same as Gamora, grabbing extra for Groot before setting him back down on the coffee table.

Gradually, the others began queuing up for materials, Peter being the last one, an internal sense of relief settling into his bones. He sat next to Gamora, trying to ignore the sway of Nebula’s feet next to his head (he was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose). “Thanks, Gamora,” he said softly.

“I’ve got your back,” she smiled in return. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do.” He nudged her shoulder with his playfully, laughing quietly. “What did you love about this year, Peter?”

“Classes were more interesting,” he began slowly, tilting his head in deep thought. His fingers began drumming out a beat on his knees. Gamora was surprised to find she could identify the song quite easily, though considering how much time she spent in his company nowadays, maybe it wasn’t so surprising after all. “I really liked learning, actually. I don’t usually like school, but this place is pretty awesome. Oh, and we had way more successful missions, since we actually know what we’re doing.”

“Other than the one where we were stranded on an abandoned planet and thought everyone else was dead,” she added, waving her chalk at him. “I can’t say that was entirely pleasant.”

“Figured that went without saying,” he chuckled. “I feel like I also made more friends this year, since there were so many new students that joined up. And I’m definitely closer to all the Guardians than before, which is always a bonus. I think even Nebula’s beginning to like me.” The swift, but gentle kick to the back of his head told him otherwise. “Ow, okay, I take it back. But it feels like a real family now. Kicking included.”

“Strangest one I’ve ever seen, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Gamora confessed. She began sketching out a tiny version of her sword on her ornament, her tongue slightly poking out in concentration, eyebrows knitted together. His heart melted a little at the sight.

“And of course, you.” Peter slung an arm over her shoulders, turning to kiss her forehead. “Don’t think I need to tell you how you’re kind of one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I wouldn’t be nearly as happy or successful as a leader if you weren’t right here by my side.”

“We started off in a rough place back then, but I have no regrets about the outcome.” She slid her socked foot neatly between his, tapping him with her toes. “Being co-leaders, best friends, romantic partners…I honestly thought it would be too much. That it would mean we had too many responsibilities to each other, too much emotional investment, too much to ask of each other, but…I think we’ve found even footing. Both a separation and a merging of our roles, so to speak.”

“How romantic of you,” he teased. “You sound like we’re going into business together.”

She prodded him in the cheek with her chalk in retaliation, leaving a white streak in his stubble that was rather comical-looking. “Do you want me to gush over your virtues, Quill?” He shivered a little at the use of his last name – she never called him that anymore despite originally using it exclusively, and he had to admit, it sort of did something for him. “Lavish you with affection, boost your ego?”

“It’s all I ever ask for,” he said sarcastically, wiping at his face.

“You know how much I care about you, Peter.” She softened, her dark eyes warm with affection. “Please don’t make me say it when everyone else is in the room.” She was beginning to grow flushed with every word she spoke.

He dipped his head to bury his face into her jawline, pleased when she began to laugh at the sensation, her fingers digging into his side. “I can’t believe you’re embarrassed at how much you love me,” he sing-songed triumphantly. “Aw, Gamora. I love you too.”

“Have I mentioned you two are insufferable?” They both looked up to see Nebula leaning over them. Now she was the one brandishing chalk in their faces. They had to duck in order to avoid getting the spray of chalk dust in their eyes.

“This would only be the thousandth time,” Gamora retorted. She pulled Peter a little closer into the crook of her neck out of petulance. “If you don’t like it, sit somewhere else.”

“I was here first!” Nebula exclaimed incredulously. Peter couldn’t help but notice a childlike squeak on the last word, but decided against saying anything. He wasn’t looking to be blinded via chalk dust, not today.

“She has a point,” he shrugged. “There’s more room on the couch. Let’s cuddle obnoxiously until Yondu makes gagging noises. Again.”

“You know I will,” Yondu called from the kitchen, where he was leaning against the counter island. “You’re lucky I like you both, or I woulda skipped out on this nonsense a long time ago!”

“I am not embarrassed,” Gamora mumbled as she dragged him over to the couch. ______

Yondu wasn’t being facetious when he said he liked Peter and Gamora, that he thought they were a good match. He knew the others had had their doubts back in the days of trying to set them up, but he never wavered, not when it came to Peter’s love life. After all, he’d grown up alongside him, watched him blossom from a scrappy little kid to a (relatively) responsible young man. Gamora made Peter incredibly happy, had become his other half in many ways so quickly, that Yondu was honestly surprised anyone ever questioned the legitimacy or compatibility of their relationship.

That being said, he wasn’t a fan of constantly seeing their...intimacy.

And okay, he was lucky enough to have never caught them in the act before. He had accidentally witnessed plenty on the Eclector when Peter was a bit of a flirt, enough times that Yondu was a little too familiar with what he looked like, sans clothes. But in a way, it was almost worse seeing them cuddle.

“Not again,” Yondu groaned as he turned around from his spot by the fridge. “Were you even here five seconds ago, girl?”

On the battlefield, Gamora was fierce, relentless, unwavering. She stared down death as if it were just another face in the crowd. Seeing her wearing an oversized Christmas sweater (likely one of Peter’s), tucked into his side in the armchair despite it only having room for one, with a book in hand, kind of challenged that image for Yondu.

“Grow up, Yondu,” she retorted without looking up. “You would think you’d all be used to this by now, but you still insist on acting like a child whenever Peter and I are remotely close to each other.”

“I am Groot?”

“I didn’t mean that as an insult to children, Groot, I apologize.” Gamora leaned over to pet Groot in consolation, where he was stood on the coffee table, pouting.

“You’d think for a guy who schemed about getting us together, he’d be a little happier about it,” Peter smirked, giving Gamora a particularly sloppy kiss on the cheek. She wrinkled her nose and swatted at him, wiping away the saliva he’d left on her face.

“I am happy for ya,” Yondu insisted. “I just thought you’d be the more private type, G’mora.”

“I choose to no longer fear intimacy,” she said patiently, setting her book on the armrest. “I feel most comfortable with myself around all of you, so I make the effort to be more affectionate when it’s just us, especially since Peter is a very tactile person. It’s not like I’m constantly hanging off of him in public. And it’s not my problem that you also happen to be here.” Peter snickered into her shoulder.

“Ri-i-ight,” Yondu drawled. “Sure, that’s what it is. Well, I gotta go make my call to Kraglin, make sure he’s doin’ okay. Anyone wanna join me?”

Groot perked right up, waving his arms in the air enthusiastically. “I am Groot!” he chirruped.

“Sure, twig, I’m sure Krag’ll be happy to hear from ya.” Yondu scooped him up and set him on his shoulder. Groot hummed happily in response, his little fingers holding steadfast to Yondu’s ear. “I’ll leave you two alone like you want. Don’t go defiling the furniture, now.”

“How do ya know we haven’t already?” Peter called after Yondu’s retreating back.

Yondu didn’t give him the satisfaction of any sort of visceral reaction. After all, he could hear a grunt that told him Gamora had elbowed Peter in the gut for his insinuation. Instead, he turned to Groot and said, “You’ve got some weird parents, twig.” Groot shrugged nonchalantly in response.

They spent a few minutes in comfortable silence as Yondu attempted to get everything set up. Coordinating calls with Kraglin was always a bit of a nightmare, what with him being hundreds of thousands of clicks away at any given time, but it was worth it. Yondu missed Kraglin fiercely, secretly wished he would come join the school alongside him, be on a team together again. But Kraglin didn’t like school, had never been good at it, and his talents clearly lay elsewhere – captaining the Eclector. And Yondu didn’t trust anyone else to do the job (especially that stupid what’s-his-face).

Groot was enjoying himself in the meantime, bouncing up and down on Rocket’s chair, squealing and whooping with delight. Yondu’s eyes darted over to him every minute or so to make sure he wasn’t entertaining himself with the buttons on the console instead. “Be careful, kid, or you’re gonna send us flyin’.”

“I am Groot,” he retorted, insulted.

“I’m just sayin’, that’s all,” Yondu replied, holding up his hands defensively. “Alrighty, we’re in, I think. Krag? You there, boy?”

“H – zzt – ah – zzt – yeah – zzt – yeah, I’m here.” The speakers in the cockpit of the Milano screeched to life rather unpleasantly. “Howzit goin’, cap?”

“I keep tellin’ you to stop callin’ me that,” Yondu said, brightening. “You’re the captain now, Krag. Don’t forget it.”

“How could I? Everyone’s always hollerin’ at me about somethin’,” Kraglin grumbled. “It’s hell, Yondu.”

“Welcome to life, boy,” Yondu snorted. “And watch your language, I got twig here with me.”

Kraglin’s voice immediately softened. “Oh, hey, Groot. How’s it goin’, bud?”

“I am Groot,” Groot nodded, clutching onto the edges of the holo-screen as if it would improve his chances of being understood. “I am Groot…I am Groot…I am Groot? I am Groot.”

“Uhh.” Kraglin paused. “What’d he say?”

“You think I know?” Yondu snapped. “I still don’t quite understand him yet. Getting there.”

“But you said Pete and Gamora, they can talk to ‘im now, right? Maybe you just gotta hang out with the kid more."

“How can I? He’s the most popular Guardian, no matter how much Quill pretends it’s him. Always being passed around from person to person, everyone wantin’ a piece of him. Must be exhausting.” Groot let out a whine of protest, reaching to pat Yondu on the face affectionately. Even Yondu could help but feel a little warmer at the sight of his large, dark eyes. It was hard not to.

“An’ how’s everyone else doing? All the, uh, holiday stuff Pete’s got going on?”

“Think the stress has finally passed,” Yondu commented thoughtfully, patting Groot on the back. “We got a Christmas tree inside the ship, ‘cause that’s apparently a thing Terrans do. We got presents, lots o’ sugar and sweets. Think we’ve finally settled with everything Quill insists we need.”

“You sure? He’s always been more of a last-minute kinda guy,” Kraglin chuckled. There was a soft thump that told Yondu he’d just leaned back in his chair, probably propped his boots up on the display like he always did.

“Gotta say, Quill’s been more responsible lately,” Yondu admitted. “Guess he’s learnin’ that being captain don’t mean he can just boss everyone around. But y’know, it’s weird having him tell me what to do.”

“You sayin’ you wanna come back to the Ravagers and take over for me?” Kragin joked, though something in his voice also seemed to imply that he might have been somewhat serious. It was hard to tell with the poor reception.

“Hell, maybe I can retire young. Return to the Eclector and do jack shi – um.” He eyed Groot guiltily, though the little one didn’t even seem to notice, scratching at a particularly itchy spot on his belly. “Nah, I’m okay where I am. This Guardians business, getting my criminal records wiped clean? Fresh start don’t sound like too bad an idea to me.”

“Already done with your thievin’ days, huh? Don’t let the other boys hear ya.”

“They might just kick my a – behind – if they did,” Yondu laughed. “Well, Quill’s looking out for all of us, but someone’s gotta look out for him. I know I ain’t his best friend anymore, but I still know him best.”

“Aw, come on, Yondu, you really gonna think like that?” Kraglin protested. “We ain’t kids no more. You can have more than one best friend. Me? I got two best friends. You and Pete.”

Yondu turned away from the screen for a moment so he could inhale sharply without the microphone picking it up, a lump in his throat beginning to form. These weekly talks with Kraglin were a relatively new thing, something they'd picked up ever since Kraglin first accepted the job as the new Ravager captain. It had started with Kraglin calling the Milano during his first week, desperate for advice on how to deal with the rowdy crowd he’d been left to handle. It had quickly turned into long chats about almost nothing at all, and it made Yondu feel both light on his feet and oddly morose at the same time.

Sure, life on Earth was pretty cushy compared to the life-or-death situations he’d run into as one of the youngest Ravager captains in the history of the galaxy, but there was something really captivating, exhilarating, even, about the simple days of do-or-die. He missed the days of when he, Peter, and Kraglin were growing up together on the Eclector under Stakar’s watchful eye. Peter constantly getting into trouble trying to explore the private areas of the ship, Kraglin trying his best to pretend he wasn’t terrified at the prospect of being caught, while Yondu was probably the one to perpetrate the act of poking around in the first place. Even the mundane things, like doing chores or eating breakfast together, were things he wouldn’t quite be able to do ever again.

“Cap? You there? You gone all silent.”

“I said not to call me that anymore,” Yondu said hoarsely. Groot was snuggling into his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. “Krag?”

“Yeah?”

“You, uh...you really sure you don’t wanna join me here on Terra? It’s got decent food and mighty fine women,” he suggested slowly.

“You know me, Yondu, I don’t got the brains for school,” Kraglin replied. Yondu could almost picture the self-deprecating smile.

“You’re smart, boy, don’t say that,” Yondu protested. “Hell, I thought the same of Quill, look at ‘im now. He’s been getting pretty decent grades, making good choices. That could be you, too.”

“I ‘ppreciate it, Yondu, but I’m good where I am.”

“I guess I, uh...I just miss you, is all. Haven’t seen your ugly mug in a while.” Yondu coughed awkwardly. “Say something, Krag, don’t make this weirder than it hasta be.”

“I miss you too.” He sounded choked up. Groot patted the console like he was trying to reach through to physically comfort Kraglin. They had only met a handful of times, but Kraglin was just as fond of Groot as pretty much everyone else was. “Hey, maybe I’ll convince the guys to drop ‘round Terra sometime and come see ya. Give us a tour of the planet or somethin’.”

“It’s a damn big planet, boy, won’t be easy.” Yondu tried picturing the Ravagers roaming the streets of New York City. Somehow, he couldn’t see that ending well, though the idea of them wandering through Times Square wearing “I Heart NY” ballcaps and chowing down on hot dogs made him laugh.

“We got time.”

“Right.” Yondu sniffled again. “I don’t know if it’s all of Quill’s yammerin’ on about being sentimental this time o’ year, but I’d like to move on past this sappy crap. Did ya finally evict that idiot? What’s-his-face?”

“Oh, Taserface,” Kraglin snickered. “Yeah. Threw a huge fit, but I got everyone on my side. There was this moment where he was tryna explain his name to us, said it was metaphorical…” ______

“Do we hafta go to this shindig?” Rocket complained. “I got a new gun I wanna work on.”

“You always have a new gun you wanna work on,” Gamora snorted as she strolled out of Peter’s bedroom, barefoot, holding a pair of heeled steel-toe boots in one hand and her utility bel in the other. She was wearing a silky black jumpsuit that Mantis had insisted she wear for the occasion, and was now struggling on where to stash her weapons. “Never thought you’d be hesitant about attending a social function that involves alcohol.”

“It ain’t even gonna be that busy,” Rocket replied. “Most everyone’s gone home ‘til school starts again.”

“How ‘bout this?” Peter emerged from his room as well, looking somewhat uncomfortable in a too-tight dress shirt (though Gamora wasn’t complaining) and oxfords that pinched his toes. “We go for an hour, we mingle, dance a little bit, and then come back and go do whatever we want.”

“If we do not go at all, Janet will be quite upset,” Mantis added.

“I would prefer not to face her wrath, so I’m inclined to agree with Quill,” Drax nodded.

“Fine, but if it ain’t open bar, you’re paying for all my drinks,” Rocket said, jabbing a claw in Peter’s general direction. He shrugged in defeat before turning towards Gamora.

“Do I look okay?” he asked as the others began dispersing to grab their coats. “This is definitely too tight. But I don’t have anything else for some reason.” She smiled teasingly, stepping closer to rest her hands on his shoulders.

“Doesn’t make for a bad view,” she drawled. “And I think I’ll just take the one blade tonight.” She held up the multi-tool he’d gifted her for their fake one-month anniversary, twirling it deftly between her long fingers. “I’m not expecting anything dangerous to happen, after all. I suppose the most exciting thing that could possibly happen is if you get drunk and puke on someone’s feet. Again.”

“I’m not planning on drinking tonight, actually,” Peter said as they both sat on the couch, pulling their shoes on. “I was hoping to hang out with you after we get back. Y’know, if you want.”

“Oh?” Gamora eyed him suspiciously. “What did you have in mind?”

“A movie?” he suggested. “If it’s just you and me, maybe A Christmas Story, but if Groot wants in, definitely A Charlie Brown Christmas. He’d love it.”

“Why don’t we have Groot join us then? It’s been a while,” she said. Then she leaned in, whispering, “We can always kick him out of our bed later.”

“Our bed, huh? I like where your mind’s at,” he grinned as they got to their feet. “Everyone ready?”

The Christmas Eve party was being held in the Avengers Dorm common area, hosted by the effervescent Janet van Dyne as always. It was a reasonably large room that had been cleared of most of its furniture in favor of a DJ booth (with Vision at the helm) and a buffet table with drinks and snacks. There was, of course, an incredibly tall Christmas tree set up next to the fireplace, glittering with red and gold decorations, garland and string lights dangling from every wall and ceiling beam, and of course, mistletoe in every doorway, making every student a little twitchy.

I don’t want a lot for Christmas…there is just one thing I need…

“Of course this is the song playing right now,” Peter chuckled as they entered the room, shaking his head. “I think this just plays on loop in Janet’s head all December.”

As if she’d heard him, Janet popped up seemingly out of nowhere, decked out in a poofy red-and-green dress, complete with Santa hat and, for some reason, a red feather boa. She was nothing if not over-the-top festive. “Hey!” she squealed. “Guardians, I’m so glad you came! It wouldn’t be a party without you.”

“Yes, where’s the alcohol? I’d like to forget that I was ever here,” Nebula interjected impatiently. Gamora pinched her in retaliation.

“I’ve got Steve on alcohol bodyguard duty,” Janet replied, gesturing towards the kitchenette. Captain America was indeed standing in front of the comically small fridge, arms folded sternly as if he were protecting some sacred item of worship (though on a college campus, free alcohol was probably the next best thing). “We’ve got a lot of younglings this year, can’t take our chances. That includes you, Groot!” Groot hopped from Rocket’s shoulder to Janet’s outstretched hands, letting out a happy squeal at the sight of his friend. “I’m trying to get pictures of everybody by the tree – for next year’s yearbook, you know? – and I’m also hoping for some shots under the mistletoe. Peter, Gamora, if you would be so kind – ”

“Janet,” Gamora groaned. “You already have a good dozen photos of us, is another really necessary?”

“Another one’s not gonna kill us,” Peter whispered softly in her ear. “Remember, the real number one rule of this school – don’t piss off Janet.”

“Fine, but you better get me a spare key to the gym before school starts, I’m increasing my training time now that I’m also teaching,” Gamora said to Janet, twisting her mouth in displeasure.

“You got it!” Janet said cheerfully, tugging her by the arm towards the closest tuft of mistletoe, and subsequently dragging Peter along with them.

The rest of the Guardians exchanged dubious looks before shrugging and dispersing. With her sister gone, Nebula stalked over to the fridge, giving Cap her best stink eye. “Move.”

“You could ask nicely,” Steve suggested. “And pullin’ out a knife won’t work on me. Been there, dealt with that.”

“Listen, you star-spangled di – ”

“Nebula!” She jumped at the sound of her own name, whipping around to see Mantis standing behind her. “All you have to do is say ‘please’. You always complicate things for yourself.” Mantis stepped a little closer, smiling warmly at Steve. “Drax and Rocket have requested I get a couple beers for them, if you would please.”

“Sure.” He handed them off to her, giving Nebula a pointed look as he did so. For all his clean-cut looks, he certainly was braver than the majority of the campus population. Most people tried their best to avoid any sort of eye contact. “Nebula?”

Nebula glared at him. “I’ll have a beer as well. Please.” Mantis nodded her approval, smiling encouragingly as he passed her another cold can. “Well, this has been pointless.” With that, she turned around and stomped off as angrily as she had arrived. Steve, who had seen just about everything, only raised an eyebrow in response.

“She is a work-in-progress,” Mantis whispered conspiratorially. “Pay no mind.”

He simply chuckled in return. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. But keep up the good work, Mantis. She’ll come around someday.” As if she’d overheard, there was a loud commotion not too far away. Their heads turned to find Nebula glaring at Daisy Johnson, who was shaking quite literally. “Um, maybe you should intervene before Quake causes a, well…quake.”

Before Mantis could move, however, Gamora peeled herself away from Peter, having also overheard Nebula’s snarls. “Well, that can’t be good,” she muttered to him before practically sprinting across the room. “Hey, Nebula! Nebula!”

“What?” she snapped, rounding on her sister instantly. Daisy took the opportunity to slink off, eyeing her surroundings carefully as she ducked back into the crowd. “What do you want?”

Gamora blanched a little. “You were fine before we left, did something happen?”

“Do I really need a reason to be angry?” Nebula cracked open her beer can and took a generous gulp. It vaguely reminded Gamora of when Valkyrie was in a bad mood. Or a good mood, really.

“Yes, actually. Because you can’t just go around acting like you don’t care when clearly, something is wrong,” Gamora hissed. “You can’t fool me, Neb, and you can’t avoid me either. So you might as well confess.”

“I have nothing to confess, Gamora. You’re starting to inherit Quill’s ability to invent drama when there is none.” Another sip.

It was interrupted by Gamora promptly grabbing her by the arm and yanking her into a secluded corner, shooing away the couple that had been making out there previously. They looked ready to argue until they realized who they were confronted with, and quickly ran off without a sound. “I’m not inventing drama, I’m reading the signs. You need to stop acting like I’m the enemy, because I’m not.” She paused, thinking back on the period of their lives in which they had been nothing but enemies to each other. She shuddered at the idea of it ever happening again. “Not anymore. I’m on your side, Nebula, I always am. So if something’s bothering you, just come out and say it.”

Nebula folded her arms across her chest, sloshing her beer around a little as she did, letting out a long exhale of utter defeat. “What is it with everyone wanting to discuss my feelings lately? Does it matter?”

“Yes, because what you want and feels matters to me, and it should matter to you as well,” Gamora said pleadingly, clasping her hands over Nebula’s tightly folded ones. “Are you not tired of being mad all the time? Or wishing that the things that happened never did? I have…cried, some nights, thinking about what we’ve gone through, but I don’t want to anymore. I’m tired of being tired. And I want to be at peace with myself, with what I’ve done. It’s the only way I can carry on with my life. And I want that for you, too.”

Nebula sighed again, though she gave her the tiniest of smirks. “Relax, sister. My feelings don’t run that deep. At least, not this time around. I just…I find it interesting. How similar you and I are. But this school values you so much more than it does me. Our classmates are all convinced of your greatness as a warrior and as a friend, yet refuse to make eye contact with me when I walk by. Like there’s some great allure to your existence, while I repel people.”

“You have to admit, Nebula, you aren’t the friendliest of people,” Gamora said, relaxing. Maybe she was finally going to get somewhere with her. “And I don’t blame you. We have every right to be wary of who and what to trust. But we’ve been here long enough – maybe it’s time to decide who you think is worth your attention.”

“The only person whose opinion I value is…well.” Nebula awkwardly waved a hand in Gamora’s general direction, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. Even the implied admittance was something that truly seemed like a holiday miracle. “I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. Terrans don’t seem all that inclined to understanding the nuance of our personal histories. There are probably some who still fear us.”

“And we should pay no matter to them,” Gamora said, reaching to grab Nebula’s free hand and squeezing tightly. “Come on, let’s go socialize for just a moment. Standing around in the corner like this won’t bode well for our reputations. Maybe you can talk to Valkyrie? If there’s one thing she likes talking about incessantly, it’s a good fight. I bet you'd like to hear about her time on Sakaar.”

And just like that, the designated hour flew by without notice, at least, until Peter approached the group of women he knew to never cross unless he wanted to die an early death (among them being Valkyrie, Elektra, Carol, and of course, Janet), gently tapping Gamora on the shoulder. “Hey, you ready to go?”

“I certainly am,” Nebula said, her voice as droll and monotonous as ever, though it lacked the usual hostility that came with it. Peter swore he could also see the beginnings of a genuine smile. Either that, or she was more inebriated than she’d like to admit.

“Wait!” Janet exclaimed. “One moment, before you leave.” Gamora and Nebula exchanged dubious looks before the other girl returned, hefting quite the number of boxes that dwarfed her relatively small frame. “If you don’t want me to buy you presents next year I’ll totally respect that, but since it’s your first winter holiday on Earth, I just had to get you all a little something.”

“Uh. Little?” Peter held out his arms so Janet could unload them, his knees buckling slightly under the sheer weight of the packages. He could never understand how such a tiny girl could be so strong, with or without her Pym particles. “Thanks, Janet, this is really awesome of you,” he said, breath coming in short. He was certainly going to have a backache by the time they returned to the ship. With a patented eye roll, Gamora grabbed a few off the top of the pile and strolled off towards the exit. “Thanks, Gamora!” he called after her retreating back. Nebula merely snorted and disappeared to go find the others.

“Happy Christmas Eve, Peter,” Janet said cheerfully. “I hope you and the Guardians had a good time tonight. Between you and me, even Nebula seems to be in the holiday spirit.”

“It’s weird, right?” Peter chuckled. “But hey, I ain’t complaining. Nothing’s better than a happy team, especially when said team members could totally decapitate me or something, I mean, you should see their weapon cache, it’s crazy – ”

“I’ll see you around, Star-Lord,” Janet laughed, interrupting him mid-ramble to pat him on the shoulder and vanish into the crowd.

Once the Guardians had returned to the Milano and went their separate ways, Peter and Gamora curled up in Peter’s bunk, Groot sprawled out across Peter’s belly, as A Charlie Brown Christmas played from the projector on his holo-tab. “So I’ve been told Nebula’s doing better with people. Marginally.”

“We had a discussion of sorts,” Gamora said with a shrug. “But then again, we seem to be having said discussion every day. If anything, she’s probably giving in just so I stop bothering her about it. It’s progress, I suppose.”

“As long as you never give up on her,” he said, rubbing her shoulders reassuringly. “But I know you won’t. You always get the job done no matter what. She’ll come around eventually.”

She smiled up at him. “I’m always astounded by the amount of faith you have in me,” she murmured softly. “I don’t think I could trust myself that much.”

“I wish you would. And you’ve never given me reason to think otherwise.” He leaned downwards to kiss her briefly. Groot let out a tiny cooing noise at the sight from his vantage point against Peter’s chest. “But also, I’ll be the first to admit I’m totally biased.”

“As long as it’s not blind faith, I’ll gladly accept it.” She grinned before settling back down against his side, turning back towards the screen. “So why was it called Peanuts, exactly?” ______

“PETER! IT IS SNOWING AGAIN! YOU SHOULD COME SEE!”

Groaning, Peter slowly lifted his head up from the pillow, blinking blearily into the darkness of his room. “Whattimeisit?”

“Early.” Gamora’s face was still half-smushed into the other pillow, her hair splayed out across the sheets and tickling his nose. Hell, if she was still sleeping, then it was most definitely too early. They often joked that her morning alarm was an attempt to beat the sunrise. “Want me to take care of it?”

“Well, it is Christmas.” He smiled sleepily at her.

Sighing, Gamora rolled over to face the general direction of the bedroom door and hollered, “GO BACK TO BED, MANTIS! IT’S TOO EARLY FOR THIS!” She turned back to snuggle into Peter’s side, draping an arm across his front. “Done.”

“GAMORA, WHAT YOU YELLIN’ FOR?”

“YEAH, WE’RE TRYNA SLEEP HERE!”

“I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING UP THIS EARLY WHEN WE HAVE NO CLASSES OR MISSIONS TO ATTEND TO - ”

“Shit.” Peter let out a delirious laugh into the pillow as he pulled her closer. “We’re never getting back to sleep at this point.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gamora mumbled, drifting off once again.

Eventually, at a more acceptable time of morning (when it could correctly be referred to as morning, and not, as Yondu so delicately put it, “the ass-crack of dawn”), the two of them made their way into the common area, pleased to be greeted with the welcome smell of fried eggs and fresh coffee, handled by Drax and Mantis respectively. Yondu was sprawled across the entire length of the couch, twirling his arrow between his fingers, while Nebula was sitting on the floor with her back against the side of the armchair, staring off into nothing. Rocket and Groot were at the dining table, looking over the schematics of the gun Rocket had been working on last night.

“Morning,” Mantis chirped happily as if she hadn’t interrupted everyone’s sleep not four hours ago. “Coffee? Eggs? Bacon? Hashbrowns?”

“The correct answer is ‘all of the above’,” Peter replied, grabbing a plate. “Also, seriously, what was up with you this morning?”

“Sorry,” Mantis said sheepishly as she began carefully pouring out two steaming mugs of coffee. “It just looked so pretty with the sunrise coming in, I thought we might want to do those activities you spoke of before. Snow angels and snowmen, correct?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He sipped contemplatively after passing Gamora her cup. “All the snow we've been getting has been nothin' but hard ice. Maybe with today’s fresh snow, it’d finally be soft enough for us to do that stuff.” He turned to address the rest of the room. “Hey, guys, how do you feel about delaying opening our presents a little longer and heading outside instead?”

“Wasn’t looking to freeze my butt off,” Yondu said, frowning. “What you on about, Quill?”

“Well, you guys know that I wanted to go all out on Christmas traditions this year,” Peter said thoughtfully. “So maybe after breakfast, we could go play in the snow. Might be our only chance before it freezes over.”

“I am Groot?”

“Yes, and then presents, I promise,” Peter nodded, settling down at the dining table with his food. “Aw, Rocket, you’re really working on a holiday?”

“Holidays don’t mean squat to me,” Rocket shrugged. “I like workin’ on this stuff, you know that. Besides, once all this snow goes away and we can finally go on jobs and make money again, the baddies won’t know what hit ‘em. Here, take a look.”

“Save it for tomorrow, Rocket, and have some breakfast.” Gamora set a full plate down in front of Rocket with a little more vigor than necessary. “We’ll look at it, I promise. But let’s just take the day for us. We all deserve it.”

“Since when’re you the biggest cheerleader of ‘em all? You hate having no plans,” Rocket said, eyeing her suspiciously, though he did accept the fork she gave him, digging into his food happily, letting out a noise of satisfaction as he did. Drax was surprisingly adept at cooking Terran cuisine, while Peter had only just recently learned how to stop burning his grilled cheese sandwiches.

“Ever since Quill infected her.” Nebula slinked over to the kitchen, smirking. Mantis’s eyes widened a little, her cheeks burning, before she wordlessly handed her a plate. “Still, I suppose it could be worse. This campus is crawling with narcissistic optimists, so Quill is relatively mild in comparison.”

“I’ll take it,” Peter said through a mouthful of hashbrowns.

“Excuse me for wanting to believe in something for once,” Gamora said dryly. “The idea of going out in the snow sounds enjoyable enough. I thought you’d be happy I’m not insisting on doing drills or fight training today.”

“Oh, trust me, I ain’t complaining, just curious,” Rocket said, grinning at her so genuinely that she was taken aback. She finally sat down as well, on Peter’s right, smiling fondly when he reached under the table to squeeze her leg in greeting. Rocket’s face twisted once more in response. “Aw, come on, can’t you go five seconds without playing footsie?”

“I’m just saying hi,” Peter protested.

“Yeah, sure, then ‘hi’ turns into kissin’, and nobody wants to see that,” he grumbled, stabbing at his eggs. Mantis’s eyebrows shot up in concern, her antennae attuned to the downturn in everyone's mood. She smoothly slid into the seat next to Rocket, giving him a warning glance.

“Peter, Rocket and I were having a chat last night after we came back, about some of the devices he has been working on?” she said as casually as she could, hoping he couldn’t hear the nervous thump of her heartbeat as she began to lie through her teeth. “He said some of the parts he needs are likely on Halfworld. Perhaps we should prioritize a supply run once the snow has melted.”

“You sure you wanna go back to Halfworld, dude? Didn’t sound so fun when you described it to us,” Peter said curiously.

“Yeah, man, it’s no big deal. I just need a crap ton of things that I’m almost a hundred percent sure are on Halfworld. It’ll be like, three days max.” Rocket shot Mantis a grateful look when Peter turned back to his food.

“Then sure, I’ll add it to the itinerary. But hey, no more shop talk, okay? Like Gamora said, the day’s for us and nothin’ else.”

“You got it, Quill,” Yondu called from the couch. He was attempting to eat lying down, the plate balanced delicately on his stomach. “That’s practically my life’s motto.”

After breakfast was over, the Guardians bundled up as best they could, including Groot, who had received a custom-made coat and wool hat from Janet about a month ago, making him somewhat resemble a jumbo-sized marshmallow. They carefully made their way off the ship, wincing a little at the amount of snow that had already settled over the Milano and was sure to freeze over later. Still, they soldiered on down the loading bay and out onto the open field nearby, the satisfying crunch of their boots filling up the silence of the relatively empty campus.

Giddy, Mantis immediately began twirling about, sticking out her tongue to catch the flakes as they fell. Peter jogged over to join her, grabbing her hands and spinning her around in an improvised swing dance. “It’s so pretty,” Mantis giggled as they came to a stop. “I did not know it could be so soft!”

“All the snow we’ve been getting so far has been pretty unforgiving until now.” Peter bent to begin clearing out a small area for them to work in. “So, let’s do it, guys! Snowmen! Er, snowpeople. And snow raccoons. And…snow…trees.”

“And how do we make these ‘snowpeople’ you speak of?” Drax asked.

“You just use the snow, dude! You can make it as fancy as you want, or you can just roll up a bunch of huge snowballs, stack ‘em, add a couple sticks for arms, and call it a day,” Peter shrugged. “Watch.”

The others stepped back as Peter rolled out an enormously dense ball of snow, humming along with the music quietly streaming out of his headphones. He pushed it perfectly into place over the area he had cleared and proceeded to stack two more on top. Peter sang under his breath as he used a small branch to carve out the details, starting with the seams of his favorite jacket and pair of jeans. Already, its resemblance was obvious, even without a face.

“Interesting,” Gamora commented, cocking her head sideways to better observe Peter’s handiwork. “Alright, I’m in. Guardians?”

“Sure, as long as Quill shares his music. All the crunchin’ noises the snow's making is gonna give me a headache,” Rocket complained.

“Gladly,” Peter grinned, setting the Walkman down on the nearby bench and cranking up the volume.

Imagine me and you, I do...I think about you day and night, it's only right….to think about the girl you love and hold her tight...so happy together…

For the next hour, the Guardians proceeded to make snowpeople of their own, occasionally running off in search of things like pebbles and branches to complete their work. Even Groot got in on the action, setting up a tiny snow-Groot of his own next to Rocket’s creation, which ended up being the same height as him. “I am Groot?” he asked Rocket.

“No, no, don’t grow out your fingers and break ‘em off for arms, that’s a terrible idea," Rocket scolded. “Just grab some twigs from that tree over there like the rest of us."

If I should call you up, invest a dime...and you say you belong to me and ease my mind...imagine how the world could be, so very fine...so happy together…

“Mantis, you seem to have quite the artistic touch,” Drax said, not even bothering to hide his surprise as he observed Mantis carving out a near-perfect recreation of her own facial features. “It looks almost exactly like you.”

“Disgusting?” she teased, flicking some snow in his direction. Drax frowned, scooping up a little bit of snow himself and flinging it at her in return. Squealing, Mantis ducked behind her snowperson before pelting another snowball back. “Drax!”

Before the others could blink, Mantis and Drax had suddenly found themselves in an all-out snowball fight, sprinting around the snowpeople and nearly tripping over themselves in an attempt to run and scoop up snow from beneath their feet at the same time. Rocket immediately ducked to grab Groot before he could get trampled on, while Nebula rolled her eyes and continued on with perfecting the frown on her snowperson’s face with pebbles. She was never going to admit how long she had spent searching for the best ones.

“Wait, guys - ” Peter proceeded to join in, laughing wildly as Mantis tackled him to the ground a mere thirty seconds later. “G’mora - Yondu - Rocket - guys, join us - ”

“Ple-e-e-ease,” Mantis begged, getting up off of Peter and tugging on Gamora’s sleeve. Sighing, Gamora gave in, scooping up a snowball of her own and smushing it right onto Peter’s face. “Yay!”

“Mercy, mercy,” Peter spluttered through a faceful of ice. He could already feel his eyelashes freezing over. “Can we partner up instead of having a free-for-all so we don’t end up killing each other? Gamora, you wanna be on my team?”

“Always,” Gamora smirked, holding out a hand so she could hoist Peter to his feet. With that, everyone proceeded to break off into pairs - Drax and Mantis, Yondu and Nebula, who somehow agreed to work together by process of elimination, and even Groot got in on the fun once Rocket told him he was in charge of making snowballs (“And nothin’ else, I don’t need you getting hit in the face today!”).

Peter and Gamora took off first, ducking behind a particularly large oak tree, while the others spread out across the field. “So, what’s our plan of attack?” Peter said breathlessly, peering out from around its stump. Nebula was currently hanging off of Drax’s back, her arms wrapped around his neck as Drax spun around in an attempt to shake her off like a dog, while Yondu was pelting him repeatedly in the chest. Groot was running for cover behind his little snow-Groot.

“Depends on whether we want to ambush everyone at once, or pick them off team by team,” Gamora replied, beginning to vigorously pack a stack of snowballs. “I’m faster, but you have better aim.”

“If we take ‘em out one-by-one, that’ll give the others time to find our hiding spot. You throw, I’ll make,” Peter decided, grinning stupidly. He had never felt like such a little kid all over again until now, overeager and easily excitable. Being surrounded by the people he loved most in the galaxy only made it more exhilarating.

He quickly began scooping and shaping, while Gamora watched the chaos developing further out on in the open, seemingly unaware that she and Peter had disappeared. There was something comforting, almost, watching the Guardians attack each other with harmless snowballs instead of cutting each other with words, something they did far too often. She was guilty of it herself, verbally picking and scratching at everyone else’s problems and insecurities as a way to ensure their compliance (or occasionally, silence). But now, all she saw was her friends whooping and laughing enthusiastically as snow and ice flew about everywhere. Even Nebula seemed to be enjoying herself, though she wasn’t quite as vocal as the others, smirking as she rained absolute hell on Rocket, who didn’t seem to mind for once, returning fire with a giant grin on his face.

“Ready,” Peter said triumphantly, presenting her with what had to be at least fifty little spheres of neatly packed ice. Gamora folded herself into sniper’s position, lying on her belly while propped up on her elbows. She eyed the others speculatively, before picking up the first snowball and flinging it with all her might.

“Ow!” Drax roared, whipping about, trying to figure out who had just hit him square in the eye. He had no time to go looking, however, as the next snowball had landed in his mouth. Yondu barely had five seconds to burst into laughter before three snowballs landed neatly on his fin, causing him to yelp like a small child in surprise.

Within thirty seconds, Gamora managed to obliterate the others, now all collapsed on the ground in a panting heap. Even Groot looked tired, and he hadn’t even been involved in the fight. Smirking, Gamora turned back over to lean onto the tree trunk to look at a slack-jawed Peter. “How did I do?”

“Freaking amazing, that’s how,” Peter said, crawling towards her and wrapping his arms tight around her midsection. “We make an awesome team, don’t we?”

“Always,” Gamora repeated, allowing him to pull her back down into the snow as he kissed her enthusiastically, yelping a little when the sides of their faces ended up hitting the snow. Peter’s already-rosy cheeks were getting increasingly pink, the tip of his nose reddening as well. Gamora began rubbing his face with her gloved hands to warm him up, chuckling softly as he began nuzzling into her neck like a cat. “You’re such a child, Peter Quill. But I can’t say I mind all that much.”

“Because you love me,” he sing-songed, tilting his head up to meet her eyes. They were glittering with pure, unadulterated joy.

“Somehow, yes, you ridiculous child.” She leaned in, kissing him again. “Are you done demanding that I vocalize my affection now, or do you need more praise before I get to properly warm you up?” In lieu of a response, Peter pulled her in even closer, deepening the kiss.

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you...for all my life…when you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue...for all my life…

“Aw, gross. Shoulda known it was you that got us all,” Yondu chortled. Reluctantly, Peter and Gamora turned to look up at their friends who had surrounded them in a circle, slightly disgruntled, flushed, and covered in slush, but mostly glowing with happiness. “Well, if we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

“What’s that s’posed to - ah!” Peter yelped as the others proceeded to throw themselves down on top of him and Gamora, resulting in Nebula’s sharp elbow in his gut and Drax’s knee landing on his crotch. Groot let out a happy cheer as he nested himself in Gamora’s scarf, cooing happily, while Mantis was sprawled out at the top of the pile, her giggling becoming increasingly delirious. “Dra-a-ax, you’re heavy as hell.”

“Mantis suggested group hugs would contribute to team morale. Do not single me out for my enormous muscle mass. I will not be shamed for my body, which is in impeccable condition,” Drax frowned.

“I just like hugs,” Mantis hummed happily, kicking her feet in the air.

“I am Groot,” Groot agreed.

“Fine, but we’re only staying here for two minutes, or else we’re going to freeze up and die. Then we’ll all be snowpeople,” Gamora said sternly, though she softened a little when Peter moved to kiss her again. His lips were ice cold, but she felt no need to stop him, as unappealing as it seemed.

Rocket made another gagging noise before turning back towards the field. “Uh, guys...about the snowpeople…”

Everyone turned their heads in the direction Rocket was looking, only to realize that their creations had been the real casualty of their battle. They were covered in boot marks and imprints of the bodies that had fallen on them, utterly crushed to bits, splintered pieces of “arms” and scattered pebbles lying at their bases as if to signify the fallen soldier of their respective owners.

“Oh well,” Peter shrugged. “There’s always next time.”

So happy together...how is the weather...so happy together...we're happy together…

Once everyone had retreated back to the safety and (relative) warmth of the Milano, Gamora and Mantis began grabbing towels and extra blankets from the supply closet, with Gamora insisting everyone dry off and change before finally getting around to opening presents. Drax began making hot chocolate on the stove, while Peter pulled up the holo-screen and started playing Frosty the Snowman to keep Groot occupied while they waited.

“Peter? Why are there so many presents under here?” Gamora began poking around at the pile of boxes underneath the tree. She wasn’t sure when they had amassed to such an amount, but it had become something of a small mountain. “I know those are Janet’s back here…some from Stark…these are the ones for me from Natasha and Elektra and Val…but what’s all this?”

Peter turned away from the screen to join her by the tree, smiling at the sight of the hand-written ornaments they’d worked on not too long ago. His favorite was the one where Mantis had written “MY NEW FAMILY” in large, looping letters, surrounded by little hearts. “My current theory? Everyone kinda ignored Secret Santa and just got everyone else presents, too. I mean, that’s what I did.”

“As did I,” Gamora confessed. She couldn’t help it – shopping for her Secret Santa had only led to her seeing at least half a dozen things she wanted to buy for everyone else. “But doesn’t that ruin the intention of giving gifts to only one person?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said with a shrug. “Tradition’s tradition, but doesn’t mean we gotta stick to it, word-for-word. And hey, more presents for everyone. Can’t complain about that.”

“No, I suppose not,” Gamora replied, smiling. She turned to address the rest of the room. “Is everyone ready? Drax?”

He briskly strolled into the living room with a tray of steaming mugs of hot chocolate, wearing the gag apron Peter had gotten him for his birthday (it proclaimed in bright red letters across the chest: “kiss the chef”). “Yes, let us proceed,” Drax said proudly as he began distributing marshmallows into the drinks. Peter made a grab for the “World’s Best Dad” cup and passed Gamora the one that said “I Hate Mugs with Funny Slogans” (she really, really did). “Who will go first?”

“I think Peter should. After all, he is the one who encouraged all of these festivities,” Mantis suggested.

“I can get on board with that,” Gamora said as she settled onto the couch. “Besides, he’ll go crazy in anticipation otherwise. So, who was responsible for his gift?”

“Me,” Rocket said, raising a paw. “It don’t look like much until I explain it to you.” He passed Peter one of the tiniest boxes, a small rectangle the size of a paperback, wrapped in butcher’s paper and tied off with what was clearly some spare string he had lying around.

Peter ripped it open, curious about what Rocket meant, and opened the unassuming box inside. There, nestled in old newspaper, was an electronic device of some sort, vaguely resembling a remote. “Okay, I give. I can’t tell what it is. What’s it do?”

“I rewired a good chunk of the ship, including your precious tape deck,” Rocket explained, grinning so widely he was baring his canines. “That right there is a universal remote for the Milano. You wanna turn off the lights without walking around the whole ship? Pull down the holo-screen without getting up from the couch? Change the song playing on the tape? It’ll do it all. Genius, right?”

“Quill with remote access to the entire ship? Hoo boy,” Yondu winced.

“Rocket, I…thanks, dude!” Peter exclaimed, moving across the floor to pull Rocket into a giant hug. “This is awesome, man.” Rocket’s ears flattened at the sudden physical contact, before wrapping his arms around Peter’s neck as well, patting him awkwardly on the back. “I’m gonna use the crap outta this, trust me.”

“I’m already anticipating disaster. I’ll be sure to confiscate it if it becomes chaos,” Gamora muttered to Drax, who nodded sagely in agreement.

“I guess Rocket should be next then,” Peter said, sitting back down. “Who got Rocket’s present?”

“That would be me,” Gamora said. “Though I didn’t put it under the tree since it looks somewhat underwhelming. I promise it’s valuable, though.” She grabbed a small manila envelope from under the armchair and presented it to Rocket. “Go on, open it.”

Rocket eyed it doubtfully before breaking the seal on the envelope. Five small slips of paper fell into his lap, plain white paper with no special markings of any kind. The only thing on them, in Gamora’s neat handwriting, was the following:

GET-OUT-OF-MEETING-FREE CARD - ADMIT ONE

(Note: This does not apply to meetings pertaining to galaxy-wide emergencies. You don’t get to opt out of Thanos-level disasters, Rocket.)

“Considering you complain the loudest about my efforts to get everyone involved more than the others, I figured it would be a blessing for you to walk away without my interference,” Gamora added with a small chuckle. “I promise to say nothing more than ‘you’re dismissed’.”

“Gotta say, I was kinda skeptical at first, but I love it,” Rocket said happily, holding them up in triumph. “Thanks, Gam. You ain’t gonna see me at the next five monthly budget review meetings, that’s for sure.”

“I figured,” she laughed. “Just sign off on the ammo you need us to get and you’re in the clear.”

“I was responsible for your present, Gamora!” Mantis said excitedly, grabbing a lime green box with a matching ribbon bow on top. “I am hoping it will be of use to you.”

“I’m sure it will be,” Gamora said reassuringly. Unlike Peter and Rocket, she took care in peeling back the tape and untying the ribbon, neatly unfolding the wrappings to the point where Rocket was beginning to grow impatient again. “Oh, wow.”

Inside the box was what at first appeared to be just a small cube of soft black leather, no bigger than Gamora’s fist. However, once she picked it up, she realized it was tucked into itself at the corners. She began unfolding it, picking at the small strings and loops that held it together. When it was completely untangled from its own self, it was then that she recognized what it was – a brand new utility belt, complete with tiny pockets and a holster for her sword. Stitched on the inside of the front waistband was Gamora’s name in green thread that was a near-perfect match for her skin.

“What do you think?” Mantis asked nervously. “Since you are teaching fight classes in the new semester, I thought you might need a less bulky belt that would still allow you to store everything you would need, and something softer that would not weigh you down. Also, I hand-made it myself. I have been getting Janet to teach me how to sew for the past month.”

“Mantis, this is amazing,” Gamora said in a near-whisper, holding it up as if it were something precious – and to her, it was. “How did you figure out the loop-and-tie mechanism? It seems both intricate and effective.”

Mantis beamed, pleased. “It wasn’t easy,” she admitted. “But I’m so glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it,” Gamora declared. “Thank you Mantis, it’s perfect.” She wrapped her arms around the younger girl, smiling when she felt Mantis let out a sigh of relief against her shoulder.

“And this is for you, bug-girl,” Yondu said with an unusual amount of fondness, handing her what appeared to be an old shoebox. Confused, Mantis accepted it, taking the lid off and setting it aside before gasping at the sight of its contents. “I sure hope that’s a good noise ya just made there.”

The shoebox contained stacks upon stacks of pictures, postcards, news clippings, and the like, from planets and star systems across the galaxy, places Mantis had only dreamed of seeing when she was a child. It was no secret that one of the biggest reasons she had joined the Guardians was to finally experience life outside of Ego’s planet, to meet new people, see new places, experience everything she had never gotten a chance to before. Of course, there were many planets they knew she would be unlikely to see, places where the Guardians would never be welcomed, but this was a good start.

“A little piece of most of the places us Ravagers have been. I even called up a few favors from the other factions, see what kinda trinkets they been collecting themselves,” Yondu smiled. “I know you got a lot of spirit in you, girl, you wanna see the world because you don’t know how crazy it can be quite as much as we do. But maybe this’ll give you an idea of what’s out there, the kinda fun you might get to have one day. Just ask Quill to take you there, he’s been to a bunch o’ those places. Have a good time.” Mantis sniffled as she began flipping through the documents, sighing happily at each new image. “Oh, no, you ain’t about to cry, are ya?”

“No,” she whimpered. Another strong inhale, this time rattling from her chest. “I still have some flu symptoms left.” Her bottom lip began to wobble. “But also, this is very kind of you. Thank you, Yondu!” Unable to contain her happiness no longer, she flung herself into Yondu’s arms, squeezing him so tightly he let out a rather undignified squeaking noise, unlike anything he’d ever made before.

“You got an iron grip, bug-girl, leggo,” he wheezed. She peeled away, giggling softly in apology before setting the box aside. “Alright, who was the unlucky fool who got stuck with me?”

“My present does not have a physical form,” Drax said, bowing his head. “So you will have to take my word for it, Yondu. But I noticed you have been quite glum lately, and were missing the company of your Ravagers. Groot told me after your last call to Kraglin that you were hoping to see them again soon. So, I made another call to Kraglin, and arranged for the Eclector to make a stop by Earth next week. I also got Director Fury’s permission. He will clear out space in the loading bay for them to land an M-ship and join us, along with excusing you from all your classes so you can take them around and show them your new home.”

Yondu blinked, at a loss for words. “R – really?” he stammered. Peter grinned – he’d never seen Yondu so flabbergasted before. “Boy, that’s…that’s mighty kind of you. You ain’t joking?”

“I would never joke about something so important to you,” Drax frowned. “I am not a cruel person.”

“No, you definitely ain’t,” Yondu agreed, clapping Drax on the back. “Thanks, Drax. Hey, maybe you could join us! I been telling the Ravagers a bunch of stories about good ol’ Drax the Destroyer. They’d be interested in meetin’ you.”

“I would be honored,” Drax replied, pleased, patting Yondu on the shoulder in return. He winced a little at the force of the impact.

“Is it finally my turn?” Nebula groaned. “I have been waiting for so long.”

“Nebula,” Gamora warned.

Ignoring her, Nebula pulled out a hastily-wrapped box from under the tree and shoved it into Drax’s arms. Without a word, she turned away from him, apparently in no rush to explain her present the way everyone else had done so far. Somewhat confused, he shrugged and tore open the packaging to find a set of wooden carvings that were hollowed out inside, complete with a sort of intricate scroll-like design around its opening. He turned them over, perplexed, and startling at the sight of a name engraved on the underside – Hovat. “What…what is this?”

Rolling her eyes, Nebula stalked over to him, yanked out one of his blades from his boot, grabbed one of the wooden pieces, and slid it perfectly onto its hilt. “Sturdier handles, you idiot. Hearing you complain about knuckle cramps day in, day out, because you don’t realize your knife handles aren’t perfectly balanced, is painfully annoying. I needed to put an end to it.”

“And Hovat’s name?”

“The engraving came free if you buy a set of two or more,” Nebula snapped. Peter was trying his hardest not to laugh – this was possibly the most aggressive act of gift-giving he had ever witnessed. “So? Do you like it or not?”

“It was very thoughtful of you, Nebula, thank you,” Drax said gently, a tearful smile beginning to form on his face. “I do like the idea of keeping my Hovat close by.” There was an awkward pause in which he considered whether to hug her or not, but then rightfully decided to avoid potentially losing his fingers in the process.

“Last but not least – drum roll, if you please – ” Mantis began enthusiastically drumming her hands on her legs “ – for you, Nebula.” Peter pulled out a key from his back pocket with a flourish and held it out to her.

“What the hell is this?” She snatched it up immediately, holding it to the light, expecting it to reveal further secrets.

“I know that all of us, me and Gamora especially, always bother you about being part of a team, part of a family, that kinda stuff. And you like being alone, which is totally fine. But the problem for you right now is, we know all your hiding spots, and we’re kinda guilty of tracking you down all the time. So, if you need somewhere to go where none of us can interfere, that key opens to the rooftop of the main library building. It’s in the middle of the campus so you can do all your weird people-watching, literally no one else has that key – not even Fury or any of the janitors – and I got it cleaned out. There was like, bird crap and tons of leaves up there. Anyways, that spot? It’s yours, and yours alone.”

“And you discussed this with her beforehand?” Nebula eyed Gamora suspiciously.

“No, actually, he didn’t. But I think it’s a good idea,” Gamora said softly. “We mean well, Nebula, but I know you like your solitude. I know I sometimes need a break from everyone, too. If it helps you deal with whatever’s going on in your head, take that key and put it to good use. But know that you can talk to us as well.”

Nebula swallowed. “Right. Uh, thanks, I guess.” She gave Peter the briefest of smiles, one that made him question if he had just briefly hallucinated. “I think I’ll be using this to get out of budget meetings as well.”

“I am Groot?” Groot looked up imploringly at the rest of the group, wondering what his present was going to be. Since Groot was the only one who couldn’t make money or really go shopping in the first place, he had been taken out of the running for Secret Santa, but he knew that the other Guardians had worked together to get him something, too.

“Well, Groot, y’know that room we have set aside for you when you’re more…humie-sized?” Rocket began, scooping him up. All the Guardians stood and walked down the corridor towards the bedrooms, where Peter unlocked said room and swung the door open wide for Groot to see. “We thought it was kinda stupid we haven’t been using this room for anything. Well, up until now. We got Stark to build you a little jungle gym in the meantime. Turns out he’s good for something after all.”

“It’s kinda based off of, like, hamster playsets. We’ve got tunnels going up to the ceiling, ladders, monkey bars, the whole nine yards,” Peter said proudly. Rocket set Groot down inside the room, watching as the little one stepped cautiously, his already-large eyes as wide as dinner plates.

“I am…Groot,” he breathed.

When Peter had first gone to Tony, requesting the jungle gym, he had stressed the importance of it not looking like Stark’s usual gadgets and gizmos – modern, metal, sleek and shiny – but rather like it had been built by bare hands and a bench, consisting mostly of carved wood. The bases were painted to look like tree stumps, the bridges and ladders consisted of wooden slats tied together with old rope, and the decorative pieces looked like winding spirals of vines and branches, like the kind that sprouted from Groot himself.

With an excitable shriek, Groot immediately began climbing up one of the ladders to the very top, peering down at them from the rope bridge. He waved at them eagerly before running around and around in circles, swinging across the monkey bars with ease. Mantis began filming him on her phone, cooing at the adorableness of it all.

“I am Groot,” he said happily, beaming.

“You’re welcome, man,” Rocket said, grinning back. “Now c’mon, the rest of us still got presents to open.”

The rest of the present opening was less of a dramatic affair, with everyone passing around wrapped packages in varying states of neatness while they sipped hot chocolate. Peter had turned on the radio for once instead of using his Walkman, letting the dulcet tones of Bing Crosby fill the room.

“Should’ve known this wasn’t going to go perfectly,” Gamora sighed as she crossed the room to settle into Peter’s side, watching as Nebula began presenting everybody else with garishly ugly socks. “She can’t help herself, can she? Regardless, I’d say it’s much better than last year. I was still finding bits of plasma in my hair a week after we returned from jail.”

“That was possibly the grossest mission we’ve ever been on,” Peter agreed. “So, I did end up getting you a present, by the way.”

“You buy me random trinkets so often I have nowhere to put them,” she teased, squeezing his waist affectionately. “What is it?”

“Well, you’ve been showing more interest in Terran culture lately, but you’ve only been seeing it from my perspective,” Peter explained. “And, y’know, as much as I like to pretend I know what’s going on, I know I’ve got a limited understanding of Earth. So I thought you would like to see it from a point of view that you’d identify with more.” He handed her a hardcover book – no wrappings or other fancies – watching her face nervously as she examined it.

“Bad Girls Throughout History - One Hundred Remarkable Women Who Changed The World,” she read slowly, eyes drinking in the hand-drawn illustrations. She fell silent as she read the description and flipped through it, her smile becoming softer with every page. “I guess this school doesn’t really delve too deeply into history outside of your world wars, does it?”

“And I figured if you wanted to learn more, badass Terran women would be a good place for you to start. I also got you a hundred dollars worth of store credit at that used bookstore in the city that you really like,” he added. “Do you like it?”

“I do, I really do,” she said, grinning as she kissed him. “Thank you, Peter. I’ll start reading it tonight. Oh, and I got you something as well.”

“What? Really?” He watched as she walked over to the tree and plucked out yet another tiny box, kneeling in front of him. “You didn’t have to, you know.”

“Did you really think I was going to get gifts for everyone else and not you?” she teased. “It barely cost me any units, so don’t worry. And I like taking part in your traditions, Peter, they intrigue me. So go on, open it.” He rubbed his hands together in excitement before removing the wrappings and the lid to unveil what was inside, eyes widening in shock when he realized what it was.

Nestled among neatly crinkled decorative tissue paper was a cassette tape, marked “For Peter”.

“Granted, we don’t share the same taste in music,” she continued. “Your music has grown on me substantially, however, so I compiled some of your favorites and some new things that should be to your liking.” Almost immediately, he pulled Gamora closer until she was practically straddling him, wrapping her tightly in his arms, burying his face in her neck. It had become his favorite place to be. She let out a surprised cry before returning the gesture with a soft laugh. “You haven’t listened to it yet, Peter, it could be awful.”

“You have no idea how much this means to me,” Peter murmured, kissing the crook of her jaw.

“I have an inkling.” She leaned back so she could gently slide the Walkman off his belt. “Here, give it a go.”

With slightly trembling fingers, Peter popped out the tape inside and slid the new one in, closing it with a satisfying snap. He slotted the headphones snugly over his ears before turning one side outwards so Gamora could hear what he was listening to. He took a soft breath for pause in anticipation, before pressing play.

Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings...of the bluebird as she sings...the six-o'clock alarm would never ring...but six rings and I rise...wipe the sleep out of my eyes...the shaving razor's cold and it stings…

Humming softly with the melody, Peter began drumming out the beat on the small of Gamora’s back with the pads of his fingers once the chorus began, apparently having no intentions of letting her go. She was fine with that – she’d gotten rather comfortable here, though she had a feeling the moment the other Guardian stopped arguing with each other over Nebula’s godforsaken socks, they would spot them and tease them once again.

Now you know how happy I can be...oh, and our good time starts and ends...without all I want to spend...but how much, baby, do we really need?...

“Not much, really,” he said quietly in response, grinning almost shyly. “I think I’ve got all I need right here on this ship.”

“Ever the romantic,” she said fondly, cupping his jaw and leaning in. “Happy holidays, Peter Quill.”

Cheer up sleepy Jean...oh, what can it mean...to a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?... ______

“Is there a reason we’re out here freezin’ our asses off? You tryna prank us, boy?” Yondu said through chattering teeth. He and Drax were having a rare moment of solidarity, huddled together underneath one of Yondu’s ostentatiously enormous fur-lined coats.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t wear enough. I told you where we were going,” Peter protested, though mostly because he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction that he, too, was beginning to lose feeling in his fingers and toes. Gamora, who wasn’t about to let Peter freeze to death or, more importantly, start yet another dick-measuring contest, practically shoved herself into his side, hoping her higher body temperature would warm him up before he started making excuses.

“That don’t explain things,” Rocket snapped. “What’re we doing, Quill? This can’t be another one of your holiday traditions, holiday’s over.”

“Uh, not quite,” Peter said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve, when everyone makes these big declarations of how they’re gonna change in the new year. And I know Gamora likes it when we set goals and talk about what we wanna do about our future, so I thought we’d just, like, do it together. Talk about what we wanna do.”

“But did we have to do it on the roof?” Nebula exclaimed, kicking some fresh snow to punctuate her point, sending a gentle spray of ice flying over everyone’s laps.

The Guardians were indeed on the roof of the Avengers Hall, where they hadn’t been since Halloween night. It wasn’t snowing nearly as hard as it had been for most of the month, having slowed to a near stop, but it was still below freezing, leaving everyone a little cranky and worse for the wear.

As predicted, Christmas hadn’t magically solved all of the squabbles and fights they’d been having. Nebula and Rocket got into yet another spat over nothing, Groot had a tantrum when he accidentally broke one of the swings on his new gym set, and Drax became boorish, confronted with his memories of Hovat once more. Yondu was secretly too excited to see his boys again to really let anything bother him, and he stayed clear of everyone else’s paths. Peter and Gamora were still in relative romantic bliss (Peter insisted they were going to be in the so-called ‘honeymoon stage’ forever), aside from the time she had tripped over the jacket he had left on their bedroom floor and nearly banged her head on the corner of his desk. Still, they were a little less high-strung and snappish than usual, mellowed out for the most part (Gamora blamed it on the spiked eggnog. She wasn’t sure who to blame it on, but it certainly made Rocket and Yondu more agreeable than usual). Peter considered it to be a welcome change, even though he knew it was going to be temporary. The next major fight, a particularly stressful job or mission, was most definitely going to restore the Guardians’ status quo.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to have a nice moment,” Peter complained.

“I think it is a good idea,” Mantis piped up. “I have always said it is good for us to discuss these things together.”

“Thank you, Mantis,” Peter said triumphantly, as if her word declared the consensus of the entire group. “First on the agenda – I know these were supposed to be here earlier, but with Surtur tryna cause Ragnarok, and Hela coming after Thor here on Earth, Fury’s had his hands full. But better late than never.” He produced two envelopes from his knapsack and held them out to Yondu and Nebula. “Welcome to the Guardians of the Galaxy. I dunno why there needs to be paperwork, but, uh, just go with it.”

“I’ll be,” Yondu said cheerily, ripping it open and grinning in ecstasy at the official declaration. “Never thought it’d be the kinda gig I’d be offered, what with my reputation, but I ain’t complaining if it gets me units and fame.”

“C’mon, Yondu, we know that’s not all you’re about,” Peter chuckled, patting him on the back. “But congrats, dude. I’m proud of you.”

Nebula, however, was still staring at the envelope in her hands as if she were expecting it to spontaneously burst into flames. Gamora watched her cautiously for a moment before pulling away from Peter’s embrace to gently grasp her arm. “Nebula…I know I’ve been pressuring you a lot lately about being part of this team. But that choice is yours to make. If you prefer to just remain a student and not accompany us as a Guardian, I understand. It doesn’t mean we’ll kick you out or abandon you.”

“How did you accept it so easily?” Nebula’s voice was so quiet, only Gamora could hear. “Pretending to be a saint, and forgetting you were ever a sinner?”

“You sound like you’ve been talking to Murdock too often,” Gamora commented with a shake of her head. “I haven’t forgotten what I’ve done, Nebula. But I just want to move past it, and this is how I do it. Every planet that I help, every life that I save – and maybe this sounds selfish – it makes me feel better. It restores my faith in myself, and that’s where I need to start. I no longer feel the need to answer for what I did when I served Thanos, because this right here? This is my answer. My new purpose. And maybe it’s yours as well. But it doesn’t have to be.”

“Well, not that legality has ever stopped me before, but I suppose having it can’t hurt.” Nebula gave her a tentative smile before tearing the envelope open, staring at the neatly-typed print of her name at the very top, scanning over the brief paragraph that congratulated her on her official Guardian membership. “Quill, this doesn’t mean it gives you the right to tell me what to do.”

“Actually, that’s kind of exactly what it means,” Peter shot back. “Whether you listen is a different story.”

Nebula blanched at his response before smirking, somewhat impressed. “He bites back,” she snorted. “Maybe my sister didn’t choose so poorly after all. Alright then, Quill. How does this ‘resolution’ thing work?”

“Well, I was thinking we could each set one personal goal and one goal for the group,” Peter suggested. “Here, we’ll write it out.” He pulled out his holo-tab and opened a blank note, its large projector screen hovering in front of everyone’s faces. “Who wants to start?”

“Me,” Mantis said, waving a hand in the air enthusiastically like a schoolchild. “I do like helping you all with your feelings. I believe it is one of my greatest purposes here. But I have spent so much time assisting you, that I have not taken the time to understand myself. So I would like to spend more time focusing on who I am and who I want to be. Does that make sense?” She looked around at them, her eyes darting from person to person nervously. Drax patted her in reassurance, smiling encouragingly. “Um, and I think one thing we could do as a group is confront our problems right away. Many of the fights we have had are simply because of miscommunication. If we clarify our issues early on, then maybe they will not happen as often.”

“That’s a great idea, Mantis,” Gamora praised. “Granted, I don’t know if it’ll work, but there’s no harm in trying.”

“Is that you volunteering to go next?” Peter said with a quirk of his eyebrows as he finished typing Mantis’s suggestion.

“Fine,” Gamora said, though not before fixing him with a glare. “I want to have a more active role in this school’s community. I spent far too long in the first year of us being here wallowing in self-doubt, assuming everyone despised me. In reality, this planet has very little idea of my past. I don’t want to miss the opportunity for more allies in our eventual fight against Thanos, so maybe I need to take advantage of that. Besides, having friends doesn’t seem so bad after all,” she added with a chuckle. “As for the team…I’ve been saying for a while now, if we all just have stronger focus, stronger discipline, we won’t have as many issues. I wouldn’t lecture you all nearly as much as I do if you paid more attention. Look at Peter, for example. His productivity is much improved.”

“That’s probably ‘cause you got him wrapped around your finger, but okay,” Rocket snorted. “Alright, I’ll go next. I was thinkin’ about other ways to make some quick cash, make myself useful while we’re here, so I think I wanna offer up my services as an engineer. Teach other people how to fix their crap. Plus, that money’ll strictly be mine and I won’t have to share with you losers. And, it’ll piss off Stark. As for all of us…I dunno, if you guys can learn more about how to do quick fixes on the ship, that’d save me a lot of time. I can teach ya.” His eyes suddenly widened. “Wait, can I charge you guys for engineering tutorials?”

“No, Rocket,” Gamora said sternly. He muttered a couple choice nonsensical words under his breath in response, though nothing distinctive enough for her enhanced hearing to catch.

“Like Gamora, I like the idea of having more companionship in my life,” Drax said thoughtfully. He was twirling one of his blades absentmindedly, watching as Hovat’s engraved name spun over and over as he did. He knew he would never find one quite like her, but he didn’t have to. He didn’t want a replacement Hovat. Romantic pursuits were about the last thing on his mind, at least for now. “Perhaps I will reach out to the other warriors on campus, see if we are as like-minded as I hoped. Thor, Korg, Hulk…”

“You can all bond over having four-letter mononymous names,” Peter suggested. Gamora prodded him in warning. “Ow. I’m just saying.”

“In regards to the team…I must admit, I don’t spend as much time with you all as I would like,” Drax continued, ignoring Peter’s quip. “I think these traditions of yours, Quill…while they might seem strange to us, I suppose much of our culture also seems foreign to you. Such as my father’s story of impregnating my mother.” The others winced – it was frankly foreign to everyone. “But they also made me appreciate everyone more, not just as people to fight with, but as my family. I think we should engage in more non-combative activities to strengthen our bond.”

“It’ll be difficult with school and missions and the other craziness we’ve got going on, but I like where your mind’s at,” Peter replied, pleased.

“My mind is right where it has always been,” Drax said firmly.

“Right, my turn,” Yondu interrupted. “I aim to do better at school. I like the idea of getting my criminal record wiped clean, and that won’t happen if I keep skippin’ classes and filling out them Scantrons with nothin’ but A’s.”

“And answering every question that begins with ‘can you explain’ with ‘no’,” Gamora added.

“And nappin’ under the desk in the engineering labs,” Rocket continued.

“And writing my name on all of your essays!” Peter exclaimed. “Dude, I almost failed Criminology because of you. I’m not even taking Criminology!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard ya,” Yondu grumbled. “Like I was sayin’ – I’ll try harder next semester. And I honestly got nothing for the rest of us to do, because you’ve all suggested just about everything already. I like Drax’s suggestion of more fun, though. That’s all I want outta life.”

“Fair enough,” Gamora nodded. “Nebula? Thoughts?”

“Well, you all appear to be on a self-improvement kick. How predictable,” Nebula snarked, turning around so her back was against the railing, arms folded firmly over her chest. Sitting on the snow-covered ground was starting to leave unflattering wet spots on everyone’s backsides. “I’ll just settle with figuring out my role on this team. I don't care to worry about the rest of you. I don't have the patience for it."

“Well, at least you’re honest,” Gamora sighed. “Groot?”

“I am Groot,” he suggested tentatively from his spot on Rocket’s shoulder. “I am Groot?”

“Fewer tantrums sounds awesome, dude,” Peter chuckled. “Am I the last one? Okay then, uh…I wanna be a better leader. I know I do a lot of talking, but I wanna listen more. At least, this talk we’re having right now, that’s a start, right? I just…I get so excited thinking about what I do for a living, and who I get to do it with, and I want us to be the best damn heroes this galaxy’s ever seen. But…I know it’s hard to do that without great leadership. Not that that’s a slight against you, Gamora, you’re doing awesome,” he added quickly.

“I had no doubts,” she said dryly, though she reached to squeeze his hand in thanks. “And your suggestion for the Guardians as a whole?”

“This is kinda adding on to Mantis’s, but…don’t feel like you have to keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself.” He smiled at them ruefully. “We’ve all dealt with shit. We’re still dealing with shit every day. But as Gamora likes to tell me, two of the most important things in relationships are trust and honesty. So like, say something if you’re having a bad day, or you don’t like something that’s been going on. We’re a team, not a bunch of people who just happen to work together.”

“Thought you were about to launch into another motivational speech for a second, and I zoned out,” Rocket snorted. “But sure, I’ll bite, Quill. More talking, like we don’t got enough of that already. Can we go now? There’s icicles in my fur, and it ain’t pleasant.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go, grumpy,” Peter laughed, getting to his feet. Everyone began following suit, chatting nonsensically to each other as they did. It was beginning to snow again, this time in small, but densely packed flakes. “Okay, we really need to get outta here, come on!”

They filed in through the roof access door one by one, shivering profusely. Nebula hesitated, wondering whether now was the right time to do it. Well, you’ve never been scared before, what’s stopping you this time? she thought, watching as the others vanished from sight. “Mantis,” she called.

The other girl turned in the doorway, blinking at her in confusion. “Is something wrong?” she asked, taking a tentative step forward. Nebula supposed she couldn’t blame her for being cautious – her hands were clasped behind her back, probably giving Mantis the impression she was about to pull out a blade or something.

“When I was at the mall with Quill, he mentioned that you were on a personal journey or whatever.” She practically shoved the item into Mantis’s gut, causing her to let out a small “oof”. “I thought this might be of use, especially since – like brother, like sister – you like to talk so much.”

Though the snow was starting to blur her vision, Mantis could vaguely make out what she was looking at – a book, heavy with a plush green cover, the word ‘journal’ embossed in gold cursive. Each page, made of thick cream-colored stock, was edged with gold to match. There were prompts on every other page, suggestions of what to write or think about, along with a small box to mark moods and feelings. It was the sort of thing Nebula scoffed at, something she would describe as “utterly pretentious”, but to Mantis, it was a step in the right direction.

“This must have been quite expensive,” Mantis pondered aloud, looking back up at Nebula. Her large eyelashes were now coated with flecks of snow, making her eyes appear even bigger than usual, cheeks unusually flushed.

“I can take it back if you don’t want it,” Nebula snapped, taking another step forward to snatch it back. Mantis immediately leaped away, clutching the book to her chest protectively.

“No, I do, it’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Thank you for the gift. I will most definitely put it to good use.” She smiled softly, reaching to awkwardly pat the other girl’s shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Nebula.”

“Christmas is over, you weirdo,” Nebula huffed, hastily brushing past her to catch up with the rest of the Guardians. Mantis chuckled to herself before turning to hurry down the stairs. It really was getting too cold for comfort, though if her chest was feeling a little warmer than it had been a minute ago, no one needed to know.

a/n: happy holidays, lovelies! i hope this fic gave you the warm fuzzies like it did when i was writing it. i also wanted to explore some other dynamics this time around instead of solely focusing on peter/gamora as i usually do, so i hope you enjoyed that as well.

some present visuals - this is the book that peter gave gamora (11/10, would recommend, by the way), and groot's gym somewhat looks like this, but if you've ever been to one of those indoor children's play centers you kinda get what i mean. aso, two more songs from peter's mix, "for gamora" - december 1963: oh, what a night by the four seasons, and happy together by the turtles. The song from gamora’s mix, “for peter”, is daydream believer by the monkees. also, rocket's backstory with lylla is partially based on their telltale counterparts, in case any of you were wondering what she looks like.

since this is the last twenty questions fic of the year, i just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read this fic and any of the others in this series! this 'verse is kind of my baby and i love being able to play around with the different relationships and ongoing storylines. i'm currently working on my other huge au, everybody wants to rule the world, so i won't be writing as much for this one at the moment, but hopefully, i'll have another one-shot in this series for valentine's day!

again, thank you so so so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed it as much as i loved writing it. likes and reblogs would be much appreciated, and i'll see you all next time!

[cali-holland]

Fireworks- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: Tom schedules a VIP tour for when he visits the Happiest Place on Earth and you happen to be that Disneyland tour guide.

Word Count: 2700

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

“Good morning, Y/N.” Your co-worker greeted you in the locker room as she used the mirror to adjust her plaid vest.

“Morning, June.” You smiled back at her. Your eyes trailed down to your own, matching red plaid vest. Working at Disneyland had its perks and being a tour guide came with the specific perk of going on rides all day.

“Y/N,” Your boss walked into the room, straightening out his red tie as he did so.

“Yes?” You replied, turning to him.

“You’ve got a tour today- I know, you have one everyday- but this is a very special and very important tour.” He said and you raised your eyebrows at him. It was unusual to hear your boss inform you of your tour- normally it was just written into your schedule. “We have a celebrity coming. It is his first time here and, as a new and upcoming star, fans shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”

“May I ask who it is?”

“Tom Holland, the new Spider-Man. It’s rather bad timing to have him come during the Summer of Heroes, but he has bought a VIP tour package, so we must comply.”

“Really? The new Spider-Man?” You asked with wonder filling your eyes. You grew up loving the famous comic book character, but never in your wildest dreams did you think you’d actually meet one of the actors.

“Yes. As a Disneyland tour guide and a cast member, your job is to give him a magical Disneyland tour for the next few days and to treat him as a regular guest, not a celebrity. You have been given permission by the superiors to use the secret tunnels- only if absolutely necessary to steer him away from crowds.”

“The next few days? How long is the tour?”

“Three days. I believe two in Disneyland and one in California Adventure. In California, be extra careful as many Marvel fans will be out there for the new ride and also for the Summer of Heroes.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Get ready. Park opens in ten minutes.” He concluded, before leaving the locker room. June turned to you in awe.

“Your first celebrity tour. Good luck!” She smiled at you.

“Thanks, June. I might need it.” You laughed.

When the time came for your tour to begin, you went out to City Hall. You stopped just short of the door and adjusted your vest one last time. You opened the door to the lobby and found it to be full of people, waiting for their tours to begin. You glanced down at the name the tour was under, Harrison, and called it out to find the group. Three hands shot in the air and you made your way over to them. The three boys dropped their hands as you approached.

“Hello, welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland. My name is Y/N and I will be your tour guide for the next few days. My job is to help you have the most magical time while you are here.”

“I’m Tom and this is my best mate, Harrison, and my brother, Harry.” Tom stuck his hand out and you shook it. You shook hands with Harrison and Harry, smiling warmly at each of the guests.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you three. Would you like to get started?” You asked, gesturing to the exit doors. They nodded and you led them outside.

“Here is the Town Square part of Main Street USA. Main Street USA is the only land that has not been significantly altered since Disneyland’s opening in 1955. It represents early 20th century America and is based upon Walt’s hometown Marceline, Missouri.” You walked out into the street and turned towards the fire station, “Walt’s private apartment is located on the second story of the fire station and he would have a lamp on whenever he was in it. We keep the light on so his presence is still in the park today.” Your spouting of information came to a halt and you watched as Harry took some photos of the fire station and city hall with his camera.

“Harry’s the photographer. He’ll do this a lot.” Tom said to you with a laugh.

“It’s totally okay. Are you all first timers?” You asked as Harry finished, ready to move on.

“Yeah, we had a few days off so we figured Disneyland was the way to go.” He replied. You nodded in response.

“Good choice.” You laughed. “Shall we continue towards the castle?”

~~~

“Do you guys like pineapple?” You asked as you arrived in Adventureland.

“Yep.” Tom nodded and you pointed to the Dole stand outside of the Tiki Room.

“The absolute best place to get pineapple soft serve, or as we call it Dole Whip, is right there. Dole Whip can only be found here in Disneyland, Disneyworld, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, or the Dole plantation in Hawaii. Just behind the stand is the Enchanted Tiki Room, which is sponsored by Dole Foods and features beautiful, singing birds from equally beautiful islands. If you want to cool off, I suggest getting Dole Whip and then watching the show.”

“When’s the next show?” Harrison asked.

“There should be another one in just a few minutes.”

“I say let’s get us some Dole Whip then. If you suggest it, it must be good.” Tom stated.

The four of you got the said Dole Whip and sat outside of the Tiki Room, waiting for its doors to reopen.

“How is your Dole Whip? As good as I told you?” You asked, before taking a spoonful of your own.

“It’s absolutely delicious.” Tom said with a nod.

~~~

 Your first day spent as Tom’s tour guide went smoothly. You took them on just about everything: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Winnie the Pooh (yes, because you dry off from Splash in there), Astro Blasters, Matterhorn, and Star Tours. The boys decided to save rides like Indiana Jones and Haunted Mansion for the last day of their trip. Today, you would take them on a tour in California Adventure. You greeted them in the entryway of Disneyland’s sister park with a bright smile.

“Good morning, Y/N.” Tom greeted you.

“Good morning, boys. Did you all sleep all right?” You asked.

“My feet hurt, but yeah.” Tom laughed.

“You’ll be walking a lot today as well. Welcome to Disney’s California Adventure. We are standing in Buena Vista Street, resembling Los Angeles during the 1920s. To take it easy on your feet right now, we’ll ride the red electric cable car to our newest attraction in Hollywood Land.”

“Ah, Guardians of the Galaxy? I should feel right at home.” Tom laughed.

“Hopefully, you feel more at home with the Avengers, than the Guardians.” You replied, leading them aboard the car.

“Well, Star Lord shares the same name as me.” He shrugged. You thought about it for a moment, before letting out a soft laugh- Peter Quill and Peter Parker.

“Say, Y/N, is Spider-Man one of the featured heroes in the Summer of Heroes?” Harrison asked.

“Yes,” You chuckled and Harrison nudged Tom, “The Summer of Heroes includes Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Star Lord, Gamora, and Groot.”

“We should go meet Spider-Man.” Harry laughed.

“I’m right here, but I’m down for it.” Tom said.

“I can arrange for us to meet Spider-Man. Don’t worry, boys.” You said. Mentally, you were hoping they wouldn’t want to see him. After all, Tom was Spider-Man and he’d be more recognizable if nearby the thing really made him super famous.

While the four of you sat in your seats for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, your body began to shake. Tom, from beside you, looked over in worry.

“Are you afraid of heights?” He asked you quietly.

“I’m more scared of the dropping feeling that comes with this specific ride.” You replied in a shaky voice.

“Here.” Tom moved his hand and grabbed yours, “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” You looked over at him and, as your eyes met his, your body relaxed. Tom let out a small smile, reassuring you that everything would be okay.

After the ride ended, you led them over to where Spider-Man’s queue was. All three boys were smiling as they went up to the masked hero.

“Hey, man! How’s it going?” Spider-Man asked.

“It’s going great. How about you, buddy?” Tom asked, switching into his Peter voice.

“I’ve had a great day. Busy helping out the Avengers, ya know.” He said, “Would you like a picture?”

“Of course!” You stood to the side as Tom, Harrison, and Harry took a photo with Spider-Man. You heard a gasp and your eyes darted over to the source.

“That’s Spider-Man!” Someone said from the line. Tom looked over at you worried.

“Yeah, I am Spider-Man.” The guy in the Spider-Man costume said.

“No, he’s is Spider-Man!” Another guy said. He pointed at Tom.

“No, no, I’m not. I just look like him.” Tom stated, slipping back into his British accent.

“Hey, that’s Harrison!” A girl screamed. The crowd started to go for Tom and the other two boys. Spider-Man and other nearby cast members jumped in the way to hold them back.

“We need to go.” You said, leading Tom, Harrison, and Harry into the nearby gate that read “Cast Members Only”.

“Are we allowed back here?” Harry asked.

“Only for emergencies.” You said and he started to lift his camera up. “No pictures back here.” He sheepishly dropped it back to its original position hanging around his neck.

“What do we do now? Just wait for people to leave?” Tom asked.

“No. We’re going to use secret tunnels.” You stated, making Harrison laugh. He quit once he saw your face.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes. How do you think the cast members get around? Now, follow me.” You replied, leading them into a tunnel to the complete other side of the park.

~~~

The next day, you took them on the rides they missed the first and rodes that they wanted to go on again. Among those rides was Haunted Mansion and, as each doom buggy could only hold two people, Tom volunteered for going with you, like he had done on all of the previous rides that called for twos. Noticing his actions, you asked him about it.

“Tom, how come you always choose me? Why not ride with Harrison or Harry?”

“I enjoy spending this time with you. Is there something wrong with me wanting to ride with you?” He asked with a hesitant laugh.

“Well, no, but-”

“It’s okay, Y/N.” Tom said. As your doom buggy descended into the darkness of the ride, Tom let his hand slip onto the seat and find yours. You jumped in shock at the sudden touch. “It’s okay.” He repeated, securing his hand in yours. You felt the same comfort that you felt yesterday just before Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission breakout.

“That was a great ride. And that entire thing is underground?” Tom asked you as you two climbed out of the doom buggy at the end of the ride.

“Yes. A lot of Disneyland’s famous rides are underground, such as this one, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones.”

“That’s mad.” He replied in awe. You met up with Harrison and Harry on the escalator back to ground level. Harrison looked over at you and Tom, then turned to Harry with a smirk on his face. You glanced down at your hand and you realized you still hadn’t dropped Tom’s hand. By the way he started a conversation with Harry about the hitchhiking ghosts, you figured he had forgotten about it as well. Blushing, you let go of his hand and let yours fall back by your side. Tom stopped mid-sentence and looked over at you for a brief second. He turned back to Harry to continue talking when you looked away.

Once outside of the ride, you left to check in with your boss as they shopped over in Frontierland. When you returned to the tour, Tom had just checked out.

“Y/N, I’ve got something for you.” Tom said. He stuck his hand into his new Disneyland shopping bag and you put your hand over his wrist, stopping him.

“I can’t-”

“I insist. You’ve been a major help to us- we definitely would not have been able to have this much fun and do this many rides without you.” He said.

“As a Disneyland tour guide-”

“Right now, you’re one of us, not a tour guide.” Tom stated. You let go of him and he pulled out a set of Minnie Mouse ears.

“They’re lovely.” You laughed lightly, touched by it.

“I’ve heard that you give someone Disney ears when they mean a lot to you.”

“I’ve only known you three days, Tom.” You stated.

“Are you saying you don’t want them?” He faux pouted. You shook your head as a smile formed on your face. “Good, because I don’t know Disneyland’s return policy.”

“Actually-” You started and he placed the ears on your head.

“Shush. You’re keeping them.” He replied.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. You made this trip better than I could possibly imagine.” Tom smiled, his hand moving towards yours.

“Are you two ready yet? We want to grab some ice cream before viewing the fireworks again. I need as many chances to get good fireworks shots as I can get.” Harry asked, interrupting your moment with Tom. You two moved away from each other instantly.

“Right. Let’s go.” You nodded, heading out of the store with the boys following you.

“You just had to butt in.” Tom grumbled to Harry.

“Be quicker about it, mate.” Harry said with a shrug.

You took them to Main Street’s Ice Cream Parlor and the four of you got your respectful ice creams. You then led them over to one of the best spots to view the fireworks with the castle in view.

“So, how often do you get to watch the fireworks?” Tom asked as he stood beside you.

“Every night. And it’s magical each and every night.” You replied, smiling up at Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

“Have you always wanted to work here?“I’ve always wanted to entertain people, but I knew I’d never make it as an actress or a singer. Disneyland makes people happy and I love being a part of that.”

“I think you’d be an amazing actress.” Tom said and you laughed, rolling your eyes.

“I’m just a tour guide- I’m not a character or a Jungle Cruise guide.” You stated, with a shrug, “I’m happy where I am. I don’t think I could ever handle the spotlight.”

“Yeah, it’s hard sometimes. I still don’t really see myself as famous. I mean, I’ve been in Disneyland for three days and no one has recognized me- even when I met Spider-Man, no one recognized me.”

“Well, everyone’s focused on their next ride or the magic in Disneyland- they’re not looking for a celebrity.” You laughed.

“I guess.” You looked back at Tom and he paused for a moment, “You-” He was cut off with a loud bang from the fireworks. He jumped, startled at the sudden noise.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” You asked him.

“You look beautiful.” He said, making eye contact with you again.

“I’ve been in the same outfit for the past three days.” You laughed.

“Yes, but you still look beautiful.” Tom raised the volume in his voice so you could hear him over the fireworks’ claps, “Is it all right if I kiss you now?” He asked, stepping closer to you. You hesitantly nodded and he leaned in. Fireworks were going on behind you two but you were focused on the fireworks going on between you two. It was pure magic…

…And Harry made sure to capture the moment perfectly with a large red firework sparkling in the background.

[fanficsandfluff]

That Stupid Terran Thing

MY EDIT: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS IS PERFECT!!!!!! Submission by Negligible!Anon, such a precious babe <3 seriously, this was the cutest fic, everyone should read it! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

This was supposed to be a fun tickle fic, I don’t know why there’s so much plot. I love this fandom, and I especially love all the fic you’ve written regarding it. Happy 19th birthday, and I hope you enjoy! -Negligible!Anon.

—

The first time Rocket tried to use Peter as a ladder, both of them almost died.

Peter had been standing in the common room, headphones on, minding his own business, when he’d first been introduced to the sensation of Rocket’s paws digging into his side as his furry teammate pulled himself up. Naturally, this led to Peter yelping frantically and twisting to protect himself, disconnecting his headphones just in time to take in a flurry of information: pain as his head collided forcefully with a nearby shelving unit, the ground rushing nearer as he overbalanced and barely managed to catch himself, and Rocket barking “hold still, you idiot!” as he clung to Peter’s shirt. When he finally managed to get both feet settled firmly on the ground, he almost lost it again as Rocket scrabbled his way up his ribcage - he had to bite his lip as hard as he could to make himself hold still, and the bushy tail brushing against his neck and arms wasn’t much help either.

Rocket huffed from his perch on Peter’s shoulder, grabbing something off a high shelf and stuffing it into his vest pocket. “You gonna crack your head on something when I climb back down too?”

“No, Rocket,” Peter said, rolling his eyes. “Just wasn’t expecting to be climbed like a frickin’ tree today. Go ahead.”

Rocket was suspiciously quiet on his way back to the floor. Peter was tempted to toss a snarky comment at his retreating back, until he remembered that till recently Rocket had access to full-grown Groot, an actual tree, for all his ladder needs. Then he just kind of felt like an idiot.

He resolved that next time, he’d let Rocket climb him without comment. Only problem was, he also flailed around wildly the second time. And the third. His sudden inability to stay upright the first time wasn’t due to surprise. Rather, it had happened because Rocket climbing him tickled like hell.

Just another stupid Terran thing to worry about.

Rocket kept giving him weird looks, and he wanted to explain himself, he really did. If it had just been an issue of pride, he wouldn’t have thought twice - it wasn’t like he had a lot of that anyway, and his dignity would be a small price to pay for keeping this precious new friendship that he had lucked into with the other Guardians from blowing up.

But ticklishness was unique to Terrans, or at least that’s what Peter had gathered from Yondu’s reaction to discovering this particular trait of his. After nearly five minutes of Yondu tickling a ten-year-old Peter into hysterics as he supposedly tried to determine if this was something his prize acquisition could be trained out of, he’d looked down at Peter with a solemn face. “You’re sure this ain’t something Terrans grow out of?”

Peter had nodded, grinning foolishly and still too winded to speak. It was probably the most contact with another being he’d had in years, and definitely the hardest he’d laughed since being taken from Earth and since his mom - yeah.

Yondu heaved a sigh. “Listen, boy - you don’t tell anybody about this re-action of yours, y'hear? Hell knows what the boys’ll do to you if they know you got a kind of weakness that’ll make you promise just about anything to get ‘em to stop using it.”

Peter, who’d been pleading with Yondu for his life, or at least the ability to breathe, not five minutes back, nodded again, his grin gone. “Alright. I’ll be real careful, Yondu.”

“That’s captain to you, brat,” Yondu had snarled, directing Peter out of his cabin with a killer grip on his shoulder. Not that any of his own warnings kept Yondu from tweaking Peter’s sides or poking at his stomach when he wanted him out of his way or paying attention or just a little riled up. Point was, his being ticklish was a weakness. One he didn’t plan to disclose unless he absolutely had to.

In the end, he didn’t really have a choice. Groot grew his legs out and started wandering around the ship, and in the fashion of babies everywhere he wanted to be picked up constantly. In the little plant’s case, this involved little snaking tendrils that wrapped around hair and fingers and fur as Groot tried not to fall off whoever he was riding around with. In retrospect, this was obviously not going to end well for Peter.

But no one could refuse Groot and his big baby eyes (weapons of their own, Rocket said gruffly one night, stroking a paw over a sleeping Groot’s head). So the infant tree had ended up snuggled into the crook of Peter’s shoulder as he sorted through ship repair parts, and as he hummed the sweet symphonies of George Harrison one of those sneaky tendrils managed to wiggle its way under his arm.

Peter shrank into himself to escape the sensation, arms snapping to his sides as he made a sound that was definitely not a shriek. In the commotion, Groot tumbled off his shoulder with a shriek of his own. Feeling the sudden loss of weight, he spun frantically, eyes tracking desperately in an attempt to find Groot before he fell. He couldn’t do it.

But Rocket was nearby, insulting Peter’s taste in spare parts and organizational methods. He bounded across the room and plucked Groot from the air, cradling him in one bony elbow.

He was staring at Peter. Peter stared back. This was it. Rocket was going to kill him. Gamora would spit on the body, and Drax would chop him up into tiny pieces with his weirdly sharp knives, and Groot… Groot would probably push the airlock button to send his corpse spinning out into the empty black of space. He opened his mouth and then closed it, unable to think of anything to say.

Rocket had no such reservations. “What the hell, Quill!” Peter flinched. “I get it if you can’t stand to be within touching distance of a cybernetically modified freak like me, okay, but Groot ain’t done nothing to you! If you can’t deal with him, just stay away!”

What.

He turned to go, Groot babbling in his arms, leaving a slack - jawed Peter in his wake. “Rocket, I - what the - that’s literally the farthest thing from the truth - Rocket, you can’t just say things like that and walk away! Get your furry butt back over here so I can tell you what’s really going on! C’mon, man - please?”

He was panicking, he knew it, somewhere between acute embarrassment and righteous outrage that Rocket would jump to the worst possible conclusion. If he moved, he was either going to pick Rocket up and shake all the stupid out of him or sprint to his room and break off the frickin’ access panel so he could starve to death in peace.

Lucky for him, Rocket was turning back around, one hand swiping at Groot as wooden hands tried to grab at his whiskers. He stomped over to a nearby table jutting out of the Milano’s wall and hopped up onto the seat. “Fine. Spill.”

Peter took a deep breath, trying desperately to stay calm and hoping that his face wasn’t turning red. “It’s a thing called ti-ticklish, Rocket. If I get touched in the wrong spot - it’s kind of like an itch? Feels really weird, and for most Terrans it makes them want to start laughing. And when you and Groot started climbing me, you guys hit a bunch of those spots, and - it’s weird, I know.” He could feel the heat on his face. Definitely blushing, then. “I would have told you, but it’s just a stupid Terran thing, and a weakness, and honestly nobody knows about it - really, the only people who’ve done it to me are Yondu and my mom-” He made himself stop. “Anyways. Groot, I’m sorry. Rocket, I’m sorry too. Also, you seriously thought I can’t stand you? What the heck?” As the adrenaline of the recent action and his confession faded, he sank onto the bench on the other side of the table. “I should have said something earlier, huh. You were going around thinking that, and I just let it happen. Some friend I am - or teammate, I guess, if you could think that I guess we’re not as close as I thought-.”

Rocket made a scoffing noise that sounded bizzarely like Yondu about to scold him for being sentimental, and Peter bowed his head and waited for the yelling to start.

Rocket’s voice was soft, when he finally spoke. “You hear that, buddy? Next time you decide to climb Quill, be a little more careful about it. Less you want him to start laughing, I guess.” His gaze snapped up to see Groot cupped in one of Rocket’s palms, looking intently up at him.

“I am Groot?” he asked, turning to look at Peter.

“To make him stop looking like someone stole all his crap and left him on a high-security planet? Sure, I guess that’s a good enough reason to tickle him.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Come on, man, don’t be an a-hole about it.” But he was already grinning, dizzy with relief that this wouldn’t be the thing that broke his team, and Groot was scrambling across the table towards him, cooing cheerfully, his arms already stretching out.

Now that he wasn’t trying to keep himself from laughing, it was a lot easier to hold more or less still as Groot enthusiastically jumped into his lap and wriggled small fingers into his stomach. He doubled over, one arm braced on the table to avoid crushing Groot, the other clutching at his face in an attempt to somehow counteract the electric feeling jolting along his nerves. “Nohoho! I told yohou, it feheeheels weheird!”

Groot’s response was almost sadistically cheerful, and now Rocket was up too, crossing the table to Peter’s side. “So, Quill, where exactly are these spots you were talking about? Up your sides mostly, right?”

He prodded his way up Peter’s sides and ribs, and it was enough to have him pounding at the table, gasping out breathless curses. This hadn’t happened to him in years. He could barely think, but the memories were close enough to grab onto - his mom, blowing raspberries on his tummy in a grassy field, and Yondu, carefully not to hurt Peter even as he tickled him half out of his mind. Now he would have a new memory to add to the list.

A lot of new memories, as it turned out. The next week, Rocket and Peter were both at the Milano’s controls, playfully squabbling over who would get to helm the ship as it manuevered around some rock formations on their latest planetary visit. Peter was challenging Rocket to name every control in the cockpit when his teammate whipped Groot out of nowhere and gently tossed him over. He was flattered, at least until Groot called out happily to Rocket and started tickling Peter under the arms until he didn’t have have the breath to argue.

Peter firmly told Groot not to mess with people while they were piloting and let it go. After all, what was a little messing around between friends?

[spryfilm]

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Action

Running Time: 149 minutes

Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Directed by: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Featuring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt

Nick Fury: “There was an idea…

Tony Stark: “To bring together, a group of remarkable people…”

Vision: “To see if we could become something more…”

Thor: “So when they needed us, we could fight the battles…”

Natasha Romanoff: “That they never could.”

Critical Commentary:

Well the wait is over, so after eighteen previous MCU movies we can now see where the entire franchise has been heading to, this movie, “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) where the villain Thanos as well as his minions take center stage to assemble the often-mentioned infinity stones so that he can have total power over the Universe. What is puzzling has been what will the mad Titan (he is a Titan as that is the world he comes from) do once he actually gets the stones in his vaunted Infinity Gauntlet. The good news is that we find out, not only that we also get a primer on what those stones are, where they come from and why use a glove to assemble them anyway?

This movie deserves accolades for just getting to the screen as it is an exercise in not only logistics but in getting the right tone for a movie with this huge scope as well as so many characters from the previous movies over the past ten years. It is the second MCU movie this year, it should have been the crowning achievement of ten years, as well as possibly the biggest event movie of the current blockbuster climate, or at least this year, but some of its thunder has been stolen, one could say even cannibalized by the release this year of “Black Panther” (2018), which has generated over US$1.3 billion globally becoming the biggest grossing MCU in the US alone. It now appears that this new movie is set to possibly be anti-climactic, in fact if it turns out not to be great or could affect “Black Panther’s” chances come awards time it may be seen as a disappointment. I can say that is not the case it actually reminds us how great Wakanda as well as that entire movie was, so great to see it again in all its glory.

Fresh of the double success that was “Captain America: Winter Soldier” (2014) and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) directors Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, not forgetting  screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely had the task of corralling over thirty main characters as well as bringing to a kind of conclusion the past ten years. However, with two of the best MCU films under their belts all four seem to be the obvious choices to bring “Avengers: Infinity War” (as well as its sequel next year) to the screen with its disparate locations, very different characters, high drama and of course comedy that has become the staple of not only their other work but the MCU in general. Of course, there is one other player, the constant force behind every single MCU movie from the first “Iron Man” (2008) through to this one, that is producer Kevin Feige. Feige is the real mastermind behind all the ups, downs, accidents, mistakes as well as the successes of all the MCU movies, the question is will this new Avengers movie be a “Black Panther” or an “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)? The good news is that as far as I am concerned this is an unmitigated success on most fronts, it brings together a promise of what was started all those years ago while if not actually delivering makes a promise of more epic stories to come as well as leaving the entire MCU on a razor’s edge.

Two years after the Avengers were torn apart during the events of “Captain America: Civil War”, Thanos arrives on Earth to collect the Infinity Stones for a gauntlet that will allow him to bend reality to his will. The Avengers must join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him before his onslaught of destruction puts an end to half the universe

Much has been made of the amount of characters within this movie, there are plenty, so much of the actual story as well as the character beats are presented with looks or shorthanded dialogue, this is a movie that expects viewers to know the histories as well as previous plot points before going in, it is one of the ways the movie has been streamlined – if you could say a running time over two and half hours is streamlined. That and the fact that the majority of this movie is spent on the run, literally, from the opening to the very end (when yes there is a cliffhanger of sorts), this is most definitely the first part of a six hour epic. Unlike previous MCU movies this is not a comic book movie presented within the framewprk of other genres, like a heist movie, a spy movie or even a comedy – “Avengers: Infinity War” is exactly what it is presented as, a 100% comic book movie, with a villain trying to get something, with hench men and heroes attempting to stop him in a variety of ways, at various locations and of course the ultimate comic maguffin, the Infinity Gauntlet, more precisely the power behind said gauntlet. It is goal focused, one of the easiest stories to tell as well as plot so that audiences can keep up, staying focused until the very ending which for some will most definitely be a shock.

There is so much to unpack with this movie, but the central character who has been threatening to arrive since the first Avengers movie is finally here, all CGI but voiced by the malevolent Josh Brolin, who plays him as well as you would expect. In fact Thanos is really the only new main character to appear (in full that is) so it is up to the movie to convince the audience of not only his power and credentials but his purpose as well. What I found refreshing was that this is partly accomplished by concentrating on the relationships between Gamora, Nebula and to a lessor extent Peter Quill. Some of the best scenes are in the middle of the movie with the search for the Soul stone, as well as the exploration as well as origins of Gamora and Thanos, these were carried out extremely well, giving new depths to the characters of Gamora, Nebula as well as Thanos. Similarly this was something that was explored in last years “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) with the short scenes between Odin, Thor and Loki which were far too brief – this relationship to is again briefly explored at the beginning of the movie. In saying that they are the only real personal moments in a movie packed with action, spectacle and awe.

The use of CGI is stretched to its limits here with the (over?) use of artificial sets, artificial people as well as artificial lifeforms, the good news is that they are juxtaposed by the real sets of New York and Wakanda which at times were welcome relief after so many digital backgrounds and extensive makeup, as well as of course the completely CGI characters of Rocket, Groot and Thanos himself – not counting multiple CGI iron people, spider-man, henchmen and various others. In saying that I loved returning to Wakanda, surely one of the location highlights especially after the success that was “Black Panther”, not only that but the various cast member of that movie are all still excellent as well as impactful, my personal favorite M’buku was a treat, he did not disappoint, in fact the last third of the movie is set there, and I am sure it will play an important part in the next installment.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is such an assuredly as well as competently directed movie by the Russo’s that it is easy to forget the challenge that was placed before them, they have made all the right moves, covering each location with just enough to give the audiences a taste of what is to come in the final shocking act, we are given enough to foresee the conclusion if you know your lore. This is based on a comic book storyline, one of the best ever constructed, so fans of that will know what is to come as well as the power behind the character of Thanos as well as his madness. This is an alien that asks for no quarter, none is given; he dispatches characters with ease as well as no remorse as we see in the opening of the movie. What is shocking is that Thanos knows all of the people he is going to face, which is proven by interactions with Loki and Tony Start, something that covers a few bases in case you think there is room for trickery – there is not. Of course the writers Markus & Stephen McFeely have alerted many of the aspects of the original story to fit within previous movies, some may complain but I find the possibility of surprise refreshing – even though I would love to see Starlin’s story played out as on the page. It is not enough to just transfer the story, any good adaptation has to retain the feeling of the original but make it something more than a copy, it has to be original which I am happy to say this is.

The MCU is still dominated by Robert Downey Jnr as Iron Man, more so with his new armor as well as his ability to stand up to anyone, but it was with glee that I thought Chris Hemsworth as Thor take his well earned success from last years movie, running with it and proving that like Downey he now owns his character, I hope to see more of him in the future. However, it is Chris Evans as Steve Rogers who is the real heart of these movies, he was born to play Captain America, someone who is the least powerful among his peers, but time and again proves that the bigger they are the harder they fall. As he moves away from the role tough I can easily see Chadwick Boseman taking his place as the born leader who will make decisions many are unable to, as will Sebastian Stan as Bucky who more and more proves he too owns his character. The surprise other than Brolin for me was the skill and ownership Zoe Saldana had as Gamora, that and the fact that in many ways this movie is all about her character, the growth she has as well as the influence she has over the people who are and have been in her life. To be fair the rest of the cast add their own skill to the screen but it for others to do the real heavy lifting which may change when next years sequel arrives.

This is by no means a perfect movie, the fact that all the character development is given to Thanos means that his top tier villains are no more than carborard cut outs with no real explanation of their powers or weaponry, they come and go at whim with little rhyme or reason. I would have liked to know the limits of their powers or at least some kind of back story, I completely understand why we didn’t but it does not help when you want to know more, especially when the MCU has always given backstories to most of their characters. Also there is an overreliance on knowing these people through different stories, mostly their own movies, so there seemed a clumsiness to prove that while they are appearing in a different movie they are still the same people – Drax for me became a little annoying and one dimensional which I thought was a bit of a disservice to him and the rest of the Guardians, Quill was the same – this may be an example of what happens when Downey dominates your section of the movie. Of course after a while there also seemed like a vacuum of ideas of how Thanos and his cronies could interact without violence especially since in most cases there was no or not much of a resolution until the last part of the movie, in fact there felt like an overreliance on the last scenes to make the previous two hours worthwhile. I will say that as character creations go as well as how they interact within crowded fight choreography the MCU are the best without doubt which shows in all of the action scenes in “Avengers: Infinity War”.

In saying that I still loved this movie, has there ever been a bigger event movie in terms of not only anticipation but also a possible payoff after ten years as well as the weight of eighteen movies? The answer is no, this has been the most successful franchise globally ever, it has had ups and downs, but it has persisted with more good parts than bad, which is proven by the fact that next year we will be seeing the conclusion to this movie as well as some of the characters that this franchise has been built on. In terms of comic book films as spectacle and jeopardy this has to be one the best of all time, it has such an emotional ending that I was surprised by how I felt in thinking about what the ramifications were going to be as well as how some of the characters will not only move forward but how this story will resove – my only problem is I have to wait a entire year.

Technical Commentary:

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray:

Disney brings “Avengers: Infinity War” to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack.

Video

The Avengers 4K arrives on Ultra HD with a beautiful and generally satisfying HEVC H.265 encode that offers several nice enhancements over the Blu-ray.

Shot on the Arri Alexa 65, capable of 6.5K resolution, and later mastered to a 4K Digital Intermediate, the 4K presentation delivers an uptick in overall definition and clarity. However, the improvements are not all that dramatic with several moments of softness sprinkled throughout. There is negligible aliasing or wobbly lines along the sharpest edges of some objects, and from time to time, especially in the long shots, the picture can appear somewhat noisy.

The better upgrade is definitely the brighter, more vibrant contrast delivering a sparky more brighter presentation, particularly in the daylight exteriors, such as the battle for Wakanda. The freshly-minted transfer comes with crisper, more radiant whites. Specular highlights don’t really improve much, but the brightest areas are nonetheless noticeably tighter, allowing for better visibility of the finest details. Black levels are a tad richer and inkier with great gradational differences between the various shades so that we can see the tiniest feature of everyone’s costumes.

Audio Review

Unlike its Blu-ray counterpart, the Ultra HD has a highly enjoyable Dolby Atmos soundtrack, offering a few noteworthy improvements over the DTS-HD MA 7.1 version. It may not compare to some of the best tracks currently available, which could make it somewhat disappointing, but it delivers a better aural experience that’s more engaging.

For one thing, the overall volume can be adjusted to normal listening levels although the design remains a very front-heavy presentation. The explosive action is largely confined and restrained to the three fronts, leaving the surrounds and ceiling speakers pretty much in silence for a majority of the runtime. On the plus side, the random effects discretely pan between the channels more fluidly and convincingly. Other scenes come with good atmospherics in the overheads. Such moments don’t really create a hemispheric soundfield that ideally matches the exciting, fiery visuals, but it manages to deliver a satisfying soundscape.

Like the lossless mix on the BD, the object-based track, however, delivers a highly-engaging and satisfying soundstage, displaying excellent channel balance and separation from beginning to end. The movie is littered with lots of background activity and off-screen movement, generating a broad and expansive soundscape. The mid-range exhibits outstanding clarity and definition with plenty of warmth and fidelity during the loudest, most bombastic segments.

Special Features

Blu-ray Disc

Audio Commentary — Directors Joe & Anthony Russo sit down with writers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely for a detailed discussion about the film’s development and production. Terrific commentary.

Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (HD, 11 min) — “Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.”

Beyond the Battle: Titan (HD, 10 min) — “Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos’ ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.”

The Mad Titan (HD, 7 min) — “Explore the MCU’s biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.”

Strange Alchemy (HD, 5 min) — Marvel filmmakers talk about the power of crossovers following separate or individual superhero movies.

Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD, 10 min) — Four scenes rescued from the cutting room floor.

Happy Knows Best

Hunt for the Mind Stone

The Guardians Get Their Groove Back

A Father’s Choice

Gag Reel (HD, 2 min) — Showing the lighter side of the production.

    4K Blu-ray review: “Avengers: Infinity War”(2018) "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018) Action Running Time: 149 minutes Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely…

[jd-rush]

Close Encounters

TITLE:  Close Encounters   AUTHOR:  J.D. Rush FANDOM:  Marvel:  Guardians of the Galaxy; Iron Man PAIRING:  Tony Stark/Peter Quill RATING:  NC-17 for M/M sexy times and language. SUMMARY:  Hours after meeting the Guardians, Tony makes good on his promise to Quill.  Sequel to “Units from Heaven”, which can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11102664 WARNINGS:  Spoilers for “Guardians of the Galaxy 2”.  Also, not exactly Team Cap friendly.  Just a head’s up. DISCLAIMER:  All characters belong to Disney, Marvel, Sony, and anyone else who can sue me.  I’m just taking them out for a spin.  I own nothing. AUTHOR’S NOTE:  Thank you to everyone who read my previous story and left such lovely feedback.  This probably isn’t the sequel you were expecting--it’s just a little ‘space boyfriends’ thing to set up the next story.  The Guardians will return.  I promise. AUTHOR’S NOTE 2:  No betas were harmed in the making of this story.  All mistakes are mine.

Tony had to admit that as far as alien invasions went, this one was a lot more fun than his first go round.

“Fuck yeah, that’s it,” he groaned, tossing his head back as he impaled himself once more upon Quill’s cock, going where no Stark had gone before.    

“Fucking perfect,” Quill echoed, bucking up hard, driving in a bit deeper.  “Just like that.”  

“So good,” Tony moaned, clutching at the headboard with both hands to anchor himself as he bounced up and down enthusiastically, undulating his hips, matching the low throbbing bass of the AC/DC song pulsing through the room and the couple writhing on the bed.  “Jesus, fuck!”

“Aw, yeah, keep doing that,” Quill commanded.  “Don’t fucking stop.”

Tony chuckled breathlessly.  “Not. . .planning. . .to. . .” he grunted, grinding his ass into Quill’s lap, wondering if all spacemen were as gifted as Star-Lord.  

Quill gripped Tony’s hips, strong fingers digging in, guiding his movements, quickening the pace.  “Just. . .a. . .bit. . .more. . .”

“So fucking. . .go-o-o-o-d. . .” Tony could barely get the words out.  He was close, so goddamn close!  Bracing himself with his left hand, he wrapped his right around his cock and stroked himself vigorously, gasping with every slick slide.  

Quill moaned at the sight.  “Yeah, like that,” he urged, even as he pumped into Tony, faster and faster.  “So fucking hot.  Do it, Stark.  Do it!”

“Oh, oh. . .god. . .oh. . .fuck. . .!”  Tony’s climax hit him hard and fast, Quill’s just a few seconds behind.  With no strength left, Tony fell forward, crushing Quill into the mattress, both men breathing heavy, sweat clinging to their bodies.   Unnoticed by either of them, the lights dimmed and the music lowered in volume, shifting to some soft, mellow piano jazz.

FRIDAY knew what her boss liked.

As Tony laid pressed to Quill’s warm skin, waiting for his racing heart to slow down, he thought back over the past few hours since the Guardians’ unexpected arrival at the Avengers’ Compound.  Rhodey’s reaction to meeting their long-distance space visitors had surpassed even his high expectations. (“Oh, honey bear!  You should see your face!  Priceless!  FRIDAY, get a shot of it!  That’s gonna be my Christmas card for the next decade, I swear!”)  After a quick round of introductions, he left the still stunned man to sort out the dinner order with the Shawarma Palace (“Just have them send one of everything on the menu.  Actually, make it a double”) while he took his guests on a tour of their new home.

Along the way, they met up with Vision, who was watching a cooking show in the large common room.  After another quick round of introductions, during which he regarded the motley crew with a mixture of curiosity and quiet scrutiny, he bowed his head cordially towards them and stating softly but resolutely, “I sense no malevolence in these individuals,” causing Tony smile in relief.  He had a good feeling about the Guardians, but it was nice to get confirmation, especially since his track record was rather shaky when it came to judging people.  

Not that he was still bitter about what went down in Siberia.  Well, not much at any rate.

Tony’s tour of the Compound showed off all its highlights and amenities, ending with a visit to R & D, where they encountered Bruce Banner.  (“My science bro!” he proudly proclaimed, planting a big, fat kiss to Bruce’s bright red cheek)  After yet another quick round of introductions, Tony gave the group a run-down of the lab’s features.  Rocket’s interest in all his high-tech equipment and projects pleased him immensely, and he freely extended an offer of full access to the lab (“supervised, of course”) for anything that might be needed in their fight against Thanos.  Quill once again warned against that idea but Tony just waved him off.  (“No worries.  It's fine.  How much trouble can he get into anyway?”)

None of the Guardians answered that.

The food, once it arrived, was a hit, as Tony knew it would be.  Bruce and Rhodey joined them because, hey, who doesn’t like shawarma, right?  Conversation was kept light and fun with everyone trying to come up with the most entertaining story to tell (“I am Groot.”  “Yeah, I would have kicked you in the knothole for that, too!”)  Mantis’s excitement at trying a new, exotic dish was charming and contagious, and if Drax looked upon her rather dotingly, no one mentioned it.  

Once dinner was done, Tony powered up the entertainment center.  Everyone enjoyed ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Two Towers’, which of course they HAD to watch because Tony had forgotten there weren't any Ents in the first movie. (“Twenty fucking hours of film--how am I supposed to remember all the details?”)  Groot kept jabbering about Treebeard to Dum-E and U, who were whirling around the room, excited to have a new friend.  Bruce and Gamora seemed to hit it off, though it was hard to tell as Banner mostly just stammered and fidgeted--even more so than usual-- while Gamora watched him with curious eyes and a little Mona Lisa smile.  Still, she hadn’t threatened to pull his spleen out and make him eat it, so he was definitely one up on Tony in that department.  

By that point in the evening, things started winding down.  The Guardians had traveled a long way and were tired, so Tony promised they’d watch ‘Return of the King’ the next night, showed everyone to their rooms, then grabbed Quill and dragged him to the master bedroom.

All in all, one of the most entertaining nights Tony could remember having in a long time.

“Well, that was nice,” Quill panted out once he had regained the ability to speak a few minutes later.

“Nice?”  Tony repeated, incredulously.  “NICE?!?  I just rode you for 30 minutes like the winning jockey in the Kentucky Derby and all I get nice?”

Quill gave him an amused grin. “Very nice?” he teased.

“That's it,” Tony grumbled good-naturedly, as he rolled off Quill and flopped onto the mattress beside him.  Oh, he was gonna be feeling that tomorrow morning.  So worth it.  “Next time, YOU do all the work and I’ll just kick back and enjoy it.”  

“So there's going to be a next time?” Quill asked as he removed his condom and tossed it off to the side, hoping it hit a trashcan, but not really caring if it didn’t.  

“Well, yeah, if you want,” Tony replied, grabbing his discarded tank top and clumsily wiping down himself and Quill before dropping it on the floor beside the bed.  “I mean, I thought that was a given.  Mi bed et su bed, or whatever that saying is.  Open invitation, as long as you guys hang around.  Then again, if it was only nice. . .”

“VERY nice,” Quill corrected with a quick kiss to Tony’s left shoulder.  “You put Captain Kirk to shame.  But, um. . .I’ve kinda got a confession to make.”

Tony whipped his head around to face Quill, panic in his eyes.  “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those male aliens that can get pregnant?”

“What?!” Quill might have squeaked.  “No. NO!”

“Thank Christ,” Tony sighed in relief.  “That almost took ten years off my life.”  

“Besides, you were the catcher.  Shouldn’t YOU be the one worried about getting knocked up?” Quill joked.

Tony glared at his bedmate.  “Not funny, Quill.  I’ve read that fanfiction.”

“The what?”

“Nevermind.”  Tony reached down and haphazardly pulled the bedding up over the two of them.  “So what’s this big confession of yours?”

“It‘s just, well, I’m not really an alien.  I mean, I’m half-alien.  I think.  Or I was.”  Quill ran his hand nervously through his hair and huffed an awkward laugh.  “I’m honestly not sure anymore.”

“That sounds complicated.  And intriguing.”  Tony turned onto his side, head propped on his hand.  “Do tell.”

Quill stretched out on his side, mirroring Tony’s position, before explaining,  “I’m originally from Missouri.”

Okay.  That was unexpected.  “You mean the Missouri here on earth?”

“You know of another Missouri?”

“Well, no, but who knows, right?  Big cosmos, lots of planets. . .”

“Never thought of it that way.  But no, I’m talking about plain old earth Missouri. St. Charles, to be exact.  I lived there with my mom when I was a kid.”

“And your dad?”

Quill shrugged.  “He wasn’t around.  Didn’t even know who he was.  Mom used to tell me that he was from the stars.  I thought she was simply being romantic about a one-night stand or something.”

“But she was telling the truth?” Tony guessed.

“Yeah.  We--the Guardians and me-- met up with him a few years ago and he was, um . . .”  Quill flashed a sheepish grin.  “Okay, don’t laugh but he turned out to be a celestial.”

“Why would I laugh at that?” Tony asked, seriously.  

Quill gave him a look.  “I just told you my father was a deity from outer space.  You don’t think that’s weird?”

“I might, if I didn’t have the Asgardian god of thunder on the payroll.  Hey, maybe they know each other.  You should totally invite him to visit the next time Thor’s in town.  THAT’S a guy who knows how to party, let me tell you.  He bought this special home-brewed grog or something with him one time?  I woke up in Vegas wearing a feather and sequined showgirl outfit, I kid you not.”

“Sorry I missed it.”

“Rhodey’s got pictures.  He claims he doesn’t but I know him too well.  I mean, if HE had been the one in that outfit you can bet your sweet ass I’d have pictures of it.  Wow,  I just had a great idea.  Okay, all my ideas are great but. . .I should call Jane Foster.  I’m sure she has a way to contact Thor, a raven or something, and we can get him down for the weekend, give you guys a grand ‘Welcome to Earth’ party.  How long would it take pops to get here?”

“We aren’t really in touch anymore,” Quill said with a grimace.  “He turned out to be kind of a . . .what did you say earlier?  A twatwaffle?”

Tony scoffed.  “I hear ya‘.  Dads, huh?”

“You, too?”  

“Oh, yeah.  King of the Twatwaffles.”

Quill chuckled at that.  “Tell me about it.  I was much better off thinking David Hasselhoff was my father.”  At Tony’s raised eyebrow, he explained, “When I was little, I used to pretend that . . .”

But Tony cut him off, “No, I’m with you.  I wanted my dad to be The Fonz.  Just a laidback gear-head with a black leather jacket, a cool motorcycle and a fuck-you attitude.  Well, I guess Howard got the ‘fuck-you’ attitude right, but he was a total dick about it.”

“You know, I never thought anyone could be 100 percent a dick until I met Ego.”

“Ego?”

“That was my dad’s name.”

“Seriously?!” Tony sniggered.  “Talk about a big flashing neon sign.  Damn, not even Howard was that dickish, though not for lack of trying.”

“I heard Howard Stark was a great man.”

“Didn’t make him a great dad.”

“His son didn’t turn out half bad.”

Tony gave a self-depreciating snort.  “Yeah, that’s just because you don’t know me.”

“I think I do,” Quill replied softly with a small, sad smile, and the sympathetic expression on his handsome face left Tony feeling oddly exposed.

Trying to get off this suddenly serious--and frankly, uncomfortable--topic, Tony did what he did best and used humour to change the subject. “So, am I going to find out how a hot, possibly half-alien guy from The Show Me State ended up guarding the galaxy?” he teased.

Quill hesitated for a moment and Tony thought he‘d refuse, but eventually he said, “It’s kind of a long story.”

“We’ve got all night,” Tony replied, as he ran his hand down Quill’s left arm and stroking along his muscular chest.  “Plus I’m gonna need some time to recover before our next round.”

Quill smirked.  “Ambitious.”

“Well, I’m hoping to improve from nice.   I have a reputation, you know.”

“Very nice,” Quill reminded him, clasping Tony’s roaming hand and brushing a kiss across the knuckles, causing Tony to smile.

“You keep that up, and I’ll just want the Cliff Notes version,” Tony warned with a playful glint in his eye.

Quill kissed the pulse-point of Tony’s wrist.  “I can do that.”

Tony gave a low impressed whistle.  “Oh, you’re good.  I mean, I thought I was good, but you?  I could learn some tricks from you.”

Inching closer, Quill murmured, “My pleasure. . .and yours.

“Fuck me twice.”

Closer.  “If you insist.”

They were so close now Quill could feel Tony’s breath against his lips.  He leaned in for their first proper kiss, only to be stopped by Tony‘s finger pressed to his mouth and a whispered, “Story first.”

Quill pulled away with a rueful grin and a half-shrug.  “You drive a hard bargain, Stark.”

“If you think I’m bad, don’t ever try to negotiate with Strange.  Trust me.  So. . .?”

Quill settled back on his side of the bed, still holding Tony‘s hand.  “So, when I was about eight years old,” he kissed Tony’s palm.  “Shortly after my mom died,” a kiss to Tony’s wrist.  “I was abducted,” lips skimmed Tony’s thumb.  “By a group of space pirates called the Ravagers,” and a final kiss to the back of Tony’s hand before Quill released it.

He recited it matter-of-factly, and didn’t seem overly upset by his revelation, but Tony certainly was.  “Jesus.  Why?”

“Dad hired some them to find me and bring me to him, but when they figured out what an asshole he was, they kept me instead.  It was actually kind of them, I suppose, though I didn’t know that at the time.  I thought they just wanted me around because I could crawl into small spaces to steal things.”

Tony frowned.  “That’s. . .”  There were so many things he wanted to say after the word, but all of them involved a serious amount of f-bombs and vows to hunt down every last Ravager in this universe and make them pay for doing such a thing.

His expression must have spoken volumes because Quill quickly jumped in.  “Hey, it‘s okay.  Happened ages ago.  And really, it wasn’t so bad.  They taught me a trade, right?  And I got to travel around the galaxy.  And their leader, Yondu,” Quill’s voice cracked on the name.  He glanced away from Tony for a moment and took a deep breath before he continued.  “Anyway, so I traveled with them for about 20 years, seeing the stars, perfecting my stealthy skills, making a name for myself. Then, a few years ago, I struck out on my own-- doing odd jobs, whatever paid the most, and that’s how I ended up meeting the other Guardians.  After I stole the Power Gem. . .”

Tony wanted to go back and find out why Quill suddenly looked so sad when he said ‘Yondu’, but sensed it was a probably a sensitive matter that should wait for another time.  Instead, he exclaimed, “Wait a minute.  You STOLE the Power Gem?!”

“Well, I didn’t know what it was at the time,” Quill shot back, defensively.  “Like I said, I was a thief for hire.  It was a job, that’s all.  I did it for the money.  And just so you know, I don’t do that anymore.  I’m totally reformed.”

“I sure as hell hope not.  I like bad boys.”

And just like that, Quill’s impish smirk was back.  “Score one for me.  So, yeah, before I could fence the gem, Gamora tried to steal it from me.  Then Rocket and Groot got involved because they were trying to capture me for a bounty that was on my head.  And so we all ended up getting into a big public fight on Xandar, which resulted in us getting arrested and thrown into prison.  And that’s where Drax tried to kill Gamora but he helped Rocket to break us all out so we took him along and we’ve been together ever since.  Just one big happy dysfunctional family.”  

“And Mantis?”  Tony asked, curiously.

“Dad was keeping her as a pet on his planet, so we rescued her.  Did I mention he was a twatwaffle?”

“Yeah, you did, and I’m starting to think he’s actually got Howard beat in that department, which I didn’t think was possible.”

“And so, that‘s my story.”  Quill chuckled uneasily.  “That must all sound pretty crazy to you, huh?”

“Crazy?”  Tony laughed.  “You want crazy?  Let’s see. . .”  He started counting off on his fingers.  “Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and can now climb walls using just his fingertips.  Bruce overdosed on gamma radiation during an experiment that went spectacularly wrong and turns into the Unjolly Green Giant when he stubs his big toe.  Our two super soldiers, Bucky and Cap, are nearly 100 years old, although admittedly they spent most of that time as Swanson’s frozen meatloaf dinners.  Oh, and there’s a talking tree and a homicidal Davy Crockett hat sleeping one floor below us.”  He gave Quill a pitying look.  “I hate to break it to you, Star-Lord, but you barely register on the crazy scale.”

“Well, that’s a first.  And what puts you on the crazy scale, Tony?”

“Besides the fact I just had a very dirty close encounter of the third kind?”

Quill’s face split into a big smile that showed off his dimples, and Tony had to physically restrain himself from leaning over and licking them.  “Great movie, but I’m not an alien, remember?”

“Yeah, but you’re half-alien.  That totally counts.  And I’ve never been plowed by a guy from Missouri before, so I can check that off my bucket list.”  

“And, of course, there’s always Gamora, if you’re still interested in the full-on Captain Kirk experience,” Quill pointed out.    

“She’s definitely a looker, but I think I’ve got my hands filled with Captain Hottie,” Tony joked, tapping a finger against Quill’s chest.  “Besides, I don’t poach another guy’s girl.  Okay, I do.  Sometimes.  But not a friend’s girl.  Well, not in a long time anyway.”

“Wait, you think me and Gamora?” Quill gaped.  “Oh, God, no!  Are you kidding?  I’m too attached to Little Star-Lord, thank you very much.  

“I can see why, but I was talking about Banner.”  

Quill shook his head in confusion.  “I don’t get it.”

Tony rolled his eyes.  “You didn’t see the way he was looking at her?”

“Well, yeah, like you said she’s stupid hot.  Anybody with a pulse would notice her, but . . .no, hold on . . .”  Quill trailed off, and looked at Tony who was nodding his head and smirking.  “Really?”

“Yup.”

“No way.”  

Tony’s smirk grew.  “Oh, yeah.”

“You mean tonight, during the movie. . .was he FLIRTING with her?”

“Uh-huh.”    

Quill suddenly burst out laughing.  “But that was so. . . so. . .”

“Painful?  Sad?  Pathetic?  Hilarious?  All the above?”  Tony filled in cheerfully.  “Yeah, our Doctor Banner is a lot of things.  Mr. Smooth isn't one of them.”

“Does he have any idea who she is?”

“Not to worry.  He can take care of himself.  Big green rage monster, remember?  Plus I have a hunch deadly female assassins are kinda his type.”  Tony rolled onto his back with a snort of amusement.  “Oh man, I just had a thought.  Gamora and Black Widow in the same room.”

“Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Let’s just say that maybe you better keep a close eye on Little Star-Lord.”

“I’d rather keep an eye on yours,” Quill leered, running his gaze up and down Tony’s toned body, barely covered by the crumpled sheets.

“Pervert.  I like that in a person.”

“Perverted bad boys.  I’m two for two.”  Quill reached over, trailing his fingers lightly down Tony’s neck and along his collarbone.  Tony watched as his gaze was drawn to the ugly circular scar where the arc reactor once resided, and waited anxiously for the inevitable questions, but was surprised when Quill instead inquired, “So this Black Widow is out with the rest of the Avengers?”

“Yeah, they‘ve been over in Latvia fighting Doctor Doom.  Real piece of work.  Gets a bug up his ass every couple of years, tries to take over the world with his,” Tony made air quotes, “ ‘doom bots‘.  Fucking original, that guy.  The Fantastic Four usually take care of him but since they’re away investigating an incident in the Negative Zone, we got the call instead.  You'll meet them when they get back, I guess.”

“You don't sound excited about that,” Quill observed.

“No, no,” Tony replied quickly--too quickly.  “It’ll be great to have the whole band back together again.”

“Well, THAT sounded convincing,” Quill said, sarcastically.  “What’s going on?”

Oh, he really didn’t want to get into all this.  He was having such a great night--the last thing he wanted was to think about Rogers and Nat and Clint and the rest of Team Backstabbers. . .ahh, Team Cap.  “It’s nothing.  Just. . .we had a bit of a disagreement a while back and things are still a little tense.  Does three years count as ‘a while back’?”

“More than.  Must’ve been a helluva disagreement.”

Oh, no, he really, REALLY didn’t want to get into all this.  Not now.  Not tonight.  Just. . . no.  “Difference of opinion, that’s all,” Tony replied, waving his hand around dismissively.  “Ancient history now.  All water over the bridge and under the dam.”

“I think you have that backwards.”

“I do?”  Tony tried to look innocent; he failed miserably.

Quill gave him a shrewd look.  “And I don’t suppose that this ‘difference of opinion’ has anything to do with why you stayed behind to help that Parker kid with a science project?”

“Wow, beauty AND brains.  I think I’m in trouble.”  As if on cue, FRIDAY announced, ‘Intruder alert!’ and a loud electric crack was heard, followed by a string of very creative --and rather impressive--cursing.  Tony grinned maniacally.  “And it sounds like I’m not the only one.”

Quill had jumped at all the sudden commotion.  “What the hell was that?” he cried out.

“That, I believe, was Rocket trying to break into my lab.  I warned him not to mess around with it.  Those locks would put Fort Knox to shame, and FRIDAY is a very vigilant, and efficient, security guard.”

Quill glared at his bedmate.  “Tony Stark, you just kill my co-pilot?”

“No.  But I bet his tail is a bit singed.”

“Are you nuts!?”

“Seven years later, jury’s still out on that one.”

“That’s only going to encourage him to try again, you know.”

“I hope so.  I need someone besides Parker and Bruce to keep me on my engineering toes.  Can‘t let that asshat, Justin Hammer, get the jump on me.”

Quill just shook his head and sighed dramatically.  “I don’t even want to imagine the mischief you idiots are going to get into.”

“Probably for the best.”

“This must be how Gamora feels all the time.”

“I guess we know who wears the pants on that spaceship.”

“You have no idea, which is too bad, because she looks amazing in a mini-skirt.”  Quill gave Tony a panicked look.  “Don’t tell her I said that.  I like my spleen just where it is.”

“You’re secret is safe with me,” Tony promised.  “You know, for a group of outlaws who met up in prison, you’ve got a pretty awesome team.”

Quill chuckled at that.  “Yeah, I do, but trust me, it’s not all smooth sailing.  We have our ups and downs, and we drive each other crazy sometimes, but that’s what family does, right?  None of us are perfect, and we accept that.  At the end of the day, there’s no one else I’d rather have at my back than those guys.  I trust every one of them with my life.”

“That must be nice.”  No, he absolutely was not still bitter about what went down in Siberia.  Well, not much at any rate.

“Don’t you trust your team?” Quill asked, concerned.

Tony heaved a deep sigh.  “I used to.  Now. . .it’s all messy and complicated and fucked up.”

“Well, that’s family, too,” Quill said, another small, sad smile pulling at his lips.

Again Tony felt that odd sensation of being totally exposed, as if Quill could look inside him and read all his flaws and fears.  Just who was this strange, sexy spaceman from Missouri who seemed to know him so well after such a short time?  And why didn‘t that scare him as much as it probably should?   “Yeah, I suppose it is.”  

“Look, Tony, I don’t know what’s going on with you and the other Avengers, and maybe it’s none of my business, but can I give you some advice?  Whatever this disagreement was, whatever happened in the past, it has to stay there.  We all have things we wish were different, things we have to learn to live with.  We can’t change them--we can only change the future.”  Quill grasped Tony‘s hand once more and gave him an encouraging smile.  “Your team and mine, Tony.  We take on Thanos together, and we win, and we save the universe, and we can all heroes, even if it’s just for one day.”

And even with the seriousness of the situation, Tony couldn’t help but grin at Quill‘s heartfelt speech.  “That album was the first one I ever bought with my own money,” he divulged.  “I wore the grooves out I played it so much.  Dad hated it, which made me love it even more.”  He sighed heavily.  “God, I fucking miss Bowie.”

Quill mouth fell open.  “You got my reference,” he whispered, a hint of awe in his voice.

“You sound surprised.”

“No one ever gets my pop culture references.”

“That definitely won’t be a problem around here,” Tony assured him.  “Strange is positively obnoxious about his knowledge of obscure pop songs.  Parker and Rhodey are in a tie for biggest sci-fi nerd you’ll ever meet.  And though he’ll deny it to his dying breath, Bruce has seen ever rom-com and chick flick ever made.”

“And you?”

Tony replied with a campy, “Honey, you should see me in a crown.”  At Quill’s puzzled expression, he added,  “Okay, ‘Sherlock’ is definitely next on the ‘must-see’ list.”

Quill gave Tony a cocky smirk.  “You know, I think I’m gonna fit in well here.”

Tony flashed Quill a seductive smile as he parted his legs slightly.  “Well, we already know you fit in well here.”

A quirked eyebrow joined Quill‘s cocky smirk.  “Is that so?” he purred, crawling over and on top of Tony, pushing aside the annoying bedding as he moved.  

“Oh, yeah,” Tony sighed, wrapping his right leg around Quill’s hip, his hands resting on Quill‘s broad shoulders.

“So, I told you my story,” Quill murmured, leaning down until his mouth hovered over Tony’s.  “Do I get my kiss now?”

“I think you’ve earned it,” Tony said, raising his head and brushing his lips across Quill’s in the barest hint of a kiss.

“That’s it?”  Quill asked, incredulously.

“You didn’t specify the type of kiss you required,” Tony replied with a smug grin.

Quill took the teasing in stride.  “Well, I was hoping for a bit more. . .”  The rest of the sentence went unspoken as he leaned down again, licking a leisurely stripe along Tony‘s lower lip.

Tony shivered at the contact.  “Mmmm.  Not bad.  But how about. . .?”  Sliding his right hand around the back of Quill’s neck, Tony finally pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss.   Mouth, tongue, lips, fluids.  It was incredible.  Amazing.  Perfect.  And a hundred other superlatives Tony couldn’t possibly think of because all his brain could think was, ‘Fuck, this man can kiss!’

Quill’s hands, meanwhile, were busy skimming along Tony’s hips and slipping under him, coming to rest on the his ass, pulling him closer, crushing their bodies together, and there had to be a word beyond ‘perfect’ in some language, but Tony was too busy losing himself in Quill’s kiss, melting into Quill’s embrace to even care what it might be. There was no question he was going to have serious beard-burn tomorrow morning.

So worth it.

After a minute or so of their tongues becoming intimately acquainted, Quill pulled away, ignoring Tony’s small whimper of disappointment.  Crystal green eyes held Tony’s gaze as he said, “Tony. . .”

“I swear on my Black Sabbath tee-shirt, Quill, if you say this is nice, I‘ll kick you out of this bed.”

“Do you like to dance?”

Tony was thrown momentarily by the odd question, his mind still a bit foggy with his desire to simply continue kissing Quill’s talented mouth, but found enough brain cells to reply, “I love to dance.”

Quill beamed.  Oh, those dimples!  This time Tony didn’t hold back and licked the closest one, which made Quill smile wider.  “Just checking,” he said, before claiming Tony’s lips once more.  

And then there was no more talking for a long, long time.

THE END

[furederiko]

Here's the 3rd, but probably not the last Random News Digest for April...

X-Men Universe

Looks like 20th Century FOX has found its superhero niche, that's able to place the studio on a similar level to its more popular Marvel counterpart, Marvel Studios. And that is, the R-Rated department! Yes, following the success of "Deadpool", now "Logan" has secured its place as the fourth highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. So while the studio might not be able to catch up the financial and critical success in the PG-13 department, it's going strong in the older-oriented market with approximately $598 million cume. Currently finishing its seventh weekend run, the critically acclaimed "Logan" is only $13 million away from taking over Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" that's still sitting on the third place. There is a possibility that it might get dethroned, but with the Summer movies like "Fate of the Furious" entering the competition and massively snatching away public's attention, things are definitely not quite so certain anymore. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the movie performs this week, right?

Earlier today (my time region, so I believe it's... yesterday in the US?), Josh Brolin trolled actor Ryan Reynolds via social media, now that his involvement in "Deadpool 2" has been publicly confirmed. True to his character Cable, and his long tumultous history with Deadpool, Brolin's making fun of the movie's lead by calling him out with '#ryanreyondsismybitch'. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige confirmed very recently, that his studio does NOT prohibit its actors from starring other superhero character in other studios. Particularly, in regards of Brolin's double roles. So I'm guessing Brolin gets to have the best of both worlds... or should I say universes. He's a major supervillain in Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a crucial superhero in the X-Men side at the same year. Could one actor get any privilege cooler than that? By the way, is that the photo of him preparing for prosthetics? After all, Cable is a character with both human and robotic body. Seriously, with how comically accurate "Deadpool" depicted Piotr Rasputin/Collosus, I can't help but wonder how authentic Brolin's Cable would look...

Marvel Studios

Let's get the biggest and most important news out of the way first. James Gunn is returning to write and direct "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"! Revealing this huge information in advance, just ahead of the first US press junket and screening of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", Gunn took to Facebook to express his heartwarming love and devotion to the franchise. Typical Gunn, to be honest, to not let himself be outdone by any journalists who would claim scoops and exclusives. Of course, this isn't actually surprising as much as a confirmation, because he HAD expressed interest to walk through the same cosmic road before this, albeit still in 'uncertain mode'.

If you ask me, this is a VERY wise choice, because that means we can expect the same style and tone moving forward to the 3rd and possibly final movie of the franchise. Why final? Gunn himself stated that the third movie "...will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond. I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far.". Does this mean it will help kickstart MCU's Phase 4, along the lines of "Iron Man 3" and "Captain America: Civil War" for Phase 2 and Phase 3 respectively? It's certainly looking that way. I have a feeling, we're going to see the likes of future heroes like Nova, Quasar, Beta Ray Bill, or future cosmic villains like Michael Korvac and many others being set up in this movie. Just imagine the interesting possibilities, right? Considering we already have a "Spider-Man: Homecoming" sequel dated for 2019, highly likely "Vol. 3" will snatch the Summer 2020 slot. For this one, I'm even willing to bet on it!

Speaking of press junket, yes, the first screening of the movie has been held just yesterday (Monday night, April 17th, US time). While official reviews are still embargoed until April 24th, 2017 12:01 AM PST, members of the press are allowed to express their thoughts on the movie via social media. As for the results... should we even be surprised if most of them are positive? Here, I'll put them on a list: - Eric Eisenberg of Cinema Blend was super happy and called it as "great continuation of the heroes". - Mike Ryan of Uproxx thought the movie was "very fun", calling out Baby Groot for being the scene stealer, and confirmed that there are more than one post credit scene. Gunn later openly confirmed and corrected that there are 5 of them! WOW. They are mostly included for the sake of fun, and it sounded like the press were only given four since the final, fifth one is being reserved for opening date. Hence why many journalists were saying they didn't saw five. This clearly puts "Vol. 2" to have the most post-credit scenes of any MCU movie to date. - Steven Weintraub of Collider said that the movie "kept a smile on my face from beginning to end" while giving "Tons of surprises". Alongside fellow Collider's reviewer Haleigh Foutch, he agreed that it was "surprisingly emotional". - Though he still liked the first movie better, Germain Lussier of iO9 chimed in with the emotional sentiment, and declared this movie "Another Marvel winner". - /Film's Peter Sciretta thought it was funnier than the original, and agreed with the 'ton of surprises and emotion' notion. While fellow reviewer Angie Han boldly called it "MCU at its very best", as she pointed out the vast color palette. - Fandango's Erik Davis stated that the sequel is "like a water-color acid trip full of awesome", and that many will consider it as "their new favorite Marvel movie". - Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com said he seriously loved it, and wished "it was never going to end". - Jeff Sneider offered one of the negative response among all. He thought it wasn't as good as the first, and that the "VFX threaten to swallow the film". - Last but not least, Joshua Yehl of IGN and Mark Hughes of Forbes put the least amount of words to describe the movie.

Now hold on a minute there. Allow me to be the pessimistic one here! Despite those cheers, somehow I feel a little suspicious to the 'lack of words' from these critics. It's as if, they are holding back on something, so now I'm more curious than ever to read their full reviews instead. I just hope I'm merely being overly pessimistic, and that this movie is equal, if not better than the first. After all, it's common sense that a sequel would be directly compared to its first movie, and that could spell either greatness or disaster in the result. Case point, for every "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", there's a "Thor: The Dark World", or "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Head over to various Entertainment Sites (like The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, Cinema Blend, and others) to check out more of these social media reactions in digest format, and help assure your ownselves whether these meant a good sign or not. Also, as we wait for the movie's Red Carpet Hollywood premiere tomorrow at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT, you can stop by on Marvel's official Youtube channel to check out the movie's latest trailer, teasing the coming of "Vol. 2" to theatres in just two weeks from now. One thing for sure, the sequel is primed to be one of 2017's 'Summer Surefire Hit', so Marvel fans shouldn't miss it for the world.

Meanwhile, "Homecoming" is preparing itself in the final stages as well, as Michael Giacchino began working on the movie's score. Not long after, news surrounding Logan Marshall-Green's mysterious role started hitting the internet as well. Based on an anonymous source, MCU Exchange reported that Marshall-Green, possibly alongside Donald Glover and Michael Mando are set to portray the live action version of The Enforcers. In the comics, these guys were featured as some of Spider-Man's earliest foes, and they usually served as henchmen for other big named super villains. Considering "Homecoming" has an obvious strong nod to Stan Lee/Steve Ditko's original works, this shouldn't sound too surprising. Even if it's clear their backstory are being modernly retooled to become the crew of Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes/Vulture. Something I don't think they have done before in the comics.

According to the site, Marshall-Green was wearing a name tag 'Brice' in one of the scene. This easily pointed his character towards the MCU version of Jackson 'Montana' Brice. Brice is also said to become one of the two Shockers in the movie, alongside Bokeem Woodbine's Herman Schultz. With that, they also speculated that Mando might be playing 'Fancy Dan' Brito, while Glover is possibly playing a version of Raymond 'Ox' Bloch. This character information might be inline with a rumor/report posted on 4Chan board (via Reddit). The whole content of this rumor, definitely sounds REALLY interesting, and should make any Marvel movie fans leap with joy due to what we can expect in the future. Although we all know that the source's credibility is questionable at best, it's fun to get excited nonetheless. Seriously, I'm NOT kidding. So if you don't mind a little spoiler and random geekish speculations, head over and read the thread yourself. Be cautious though, it might not be 100% true. Do it just for the sake of fun!

On top of all these news however, Marvel Studios made a surprise gesture as they held an actual Open House of their office at Burbank, California. Precisely two hours before the first screening to "Vol. 2"! They've invited members of the press for a meet and greet, allowing them to see what's currently in development and what's coming in the future. This is something the studio hasn't done before, and I certainly hope it won't be the last time either. In attendance were Studio President Kevin Feige, co-President Louis D'Esposito, directors Taika Waititi, Peyton Reed, and conceptual artist Andy Park, as they helped shed some lights on various topics. This ranged from behind the scene developments and out-takes, FX work-in-progress, important tidbits from upcoming movies, as well as an exclusive one hour Q&A roundtable with Kevin Feige.

For convenience sake, let's go through them with another set of list, shall we? - Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" is set to wrap production in just a couple of days from now. D'Esposito showed an early sizzle reel that depicted scenes like: a casino fight, the coronation of one shirtless Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa, Danai Gurira's Okoye 'flirting' with Florence Kasumba's Ayo, car-flip stunt, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia in action, and Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klau interacting with Martin Freeman's Everett K. Ross about a mixtape. According to Scott Mendelson of Forbes, he has heard before that the genre this movie will take on is akin to James Bond's globetrotting adventure. Looks like this footage might have implicitly confirmed such report. If that's the case, then Marvel Studios is scoring big time with "Black Panther". Not only the movie will be their first movie with a black lead, it's also the first James Bond-type action hero with one. Add to that, the likelihood of an LGBT nod between two female characters, this movie might end up carrying huge torch of importance for the MCU. - Reed and Park showcased their concept designs for "Ant-Man & the Wasp", offering all kinds of brilliant size-shifting action scenes. They also showed the new superpowered suits for both Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne. Yes, Lang will have a new suit, which will be necessary to the story. Reed named it the "3.0" suit. - Waititi revealed that his cameo in "Thor: Ragnarok" would be a mo-cap role, as he'll portray Korg, a character from the "Planet Hulk" comic book. The presence of Miek was also confirmed via footage that Waititi personally shown to the press. - On a separate place, concept art for Josh Brolin's Thanos in"Avengers: Infinity War" could be seen. Oddly, that's all there is for the movie. It's likely that things are being tightly wrapped for this production, to avoid giving early spoilers to the press. After all, the title of UNTITLED 2019's Avengers movie alone, might already be considered one. - Although not yet called official, a mockup costume of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers for "Captain Marvel" can be spotted on the studio. It seems to be taking cues from the comics, so fans can rest assured. For detailed description of this tentative Captain America-esque design, you can head over to Screen Rant. Also, the plan is for the movie to begin production in February 2018, as a female director might have already been selected to helm the movie. I guess we'll just have to wait for Marvel Studios to officially announce her to public. - In the Q&A, Feige stated his stance on R-rated superhero movies, and how Marvel Studios is unlikely to venture that route. He refused to comment on how Warner Bros is doing with their DC Extended Universe. But he himself admitted to be a fan of DC characters, so naturally he wishes them to do well. It's the kind of generous move I can only hope, someday could be replicated by those generally bullish folks at WB/DC, as impossible as that might seem. Feige even shared his enthusiasm and support for Joss Whedon's DC project, revealing that the former MCU consultant actually talked to their team about doing "Batgirl", waaay before the news went public! Now that's what I call respect... am I right? - Last but not least, Feige confirmed that Tom Holland's Peter Parker, will also appear in the currently UNTITLED 2019's Avengers movie. He said the deal with SONY has been extended until the already-announced sequel of "Homecoming" that's coming in 2019, but what happens afterwards remains in question for the time being. Oh, and that Marvel Studios does NOT have anything to do with any of the announced Spider-Man spin-offs (like "Venom" or "Black Cat & Silver Sable"). So obviously, those titles won't take place in the MCU. To those who are still wondering about that, there's your valid answer.

This event, as well as that report from 4Chan that I've mentioned earlier, will undeniably make any MCU fans happy. Of course, I actually don't need to remind you, but don't forget to book your tickets for "Vol. 2" that will arrive real soon. And this was just in several hours ago, but despite the existence of Disney D23, Marvel Studios is NOT skipping out San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) this Summer (held on July 20th to July 23rd)! That means, we can get more news surrounding the upcoming movies like "Ragnarok", "Black Panther", "Infinity War", and perhaps the confirmation of who will be directing "Captain Marvel". Maaan, it's such a good time to be Marvel Studios fans, am I right?

Star Wars

Star Wars Celebration 2017 (SWCO 2017) was held last week from April 13th to 16th, 2017, and as many had expected, some key information about the franchise were delivered.

The long-awaited, and much-anticipated first teaser for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has been released. I personally thought it looked okay, and somehow looking more ominous than 2015's "The Force Awakens". But of course, I'm not a huge Star Wars fans, so I don't think I'm qualified to judge this. It seems to be focusing more on Daisy Ridley's Rey, as she trains under the guidance of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker. Perhaps, this movie is serving as some kind of Hamill's swan song in the franchise? Much like how "The Force Awakens" had Harrison Ford exited in a high note? Will we get to know more about Rey's back story? Who her parents are? It's currently unclear if writer/director Rian Johnson will be able to accomplish the same critical and financial success to J.J. Abrams. His enthusiasm did look comforting, but as always, we'll have to wait and see whether he'll deliver when the movie arrives later this year on December 15, 2017.

What truly stole the attention of almost every (if not all) attendees during the event, was none other than a strong melancholic tribute to the late Carrie Fisher. A special tribute video was released online in accordance to this, and although it didn't have as much effect on me, I'm sure "Star Wars" fans would appreciate it a lot better. In their own "Star Wars" way. As a follow up to this, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that the late actress will not appear, as in digitally inserted, as General Leia in the upcoming Episode IX. That means Episode VIII or "The Last Jedi", which was Fisher's last movie before her untimely passing on December 2016, would certainly be her final "Star Wars" appearance in the franchise. This helped clarified the previous report, when Carrie's brother Todd and daughter Billie Lourd stated their permission for Disney and Lucasfilm to use her footage for the 2019 movie. Kennedy assured fans, that we will be seeing "a lot of Carrie" this December. While some fans have indeed expressed grieve and disappointments about this decision, some others agreed with Kennedy, that it was the right thing to do to honor the late actress.

On the TV side, comes a surprising announcement for fans. "Star Wars REBELS" is ending in its next, 4th season. Yep, this is the primary reason why this category is suddenly sitting in the borderline of movie and TV, because it goes both ways. Series co-creator and executive producer Dave Filoni, brought this news himself to the audience, accompanied by core cast members like Freddie Prinze, Jr., Vanessa Marshall, Taylor Gray, Tiya Sircar, and Steve Blum. He stated that adventure for Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and their Rebel 'family' will come to a close in 15 episodes, and that it's going to be "A little dark, a little fun". Filoni admitted that ending the show was his decision, learning from unpleasant experience with "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Eventhough "REBELS" is ending, Filoni did state that there will be more animated "Star Wars" stories in the future.

To be honest, considering the in-show developments that's getting more and more colossal for a TV budget, I didn't find this news to be THAT surprising. Although interestingly, this thing always happen everytime I'm on the verge of dropping a series. LOL. No really, I thought Season 3 ended in a good note, and I'm going to leave it at that. Knowing that the next is going to be the last season, obviously I've changed my plan. Of course, I do feel curious about where or how this show cannonically fits in between the movies. According to popular knowledge, it takes place before the events of the "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope". As far as I know (mind you, I'm still Star Wars illiterate, so pardon if I'm mistaken), there aren't any active Jedi present until Luke Skywalker become one in the movie. While apparently, Hera and Chopper are mentioned to be stationed on Yavin 4 in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". Does this mean Kanan and Ezra will meet their demise in the final season? Hmmmm, intriguing.

Through SWCO's special panel for the series, the voice actors talked about what will happen to their characters. Marshall said, that members of the Ghost will be "pressed to the very edges of their ability". Perhaps we might see her Hera Syndulla gets promoted to General, as revealed in "Rogue One" then? Blum's Zeb Aurellios is taking more of an uncle-figure, to what I assume to be Ezra. Filoni said that Chopper will get to show his "bigger heart" in this last season, considering he has been seen as cranky and grumpy in the previous three. Obviously, Sabine Wren will be dealing with her Mandalorian Civil War, as was hinted in the finale of Season 3. Sircar hesitated to say much about it, but teased that things might get ugly for her family, especially when a certain 'familiar' someone arrives. And by familiar, perhaps... the elusive Boba Fett? Prinze Jr. said Kanan will slowly evolve into the strong Jedi, joining the ranks that audience have seen before. Gray certainly said that his Ezra will make some great decisions this season, away from the dark side.

As for the guest characters, Forest Whitaker will reprise his role as the voice of Saw Gerrera. Saw's co-pilot Two Tubes will joining him this season. Genevieve O'Reilly, will be reprising Mon Mothma as well. We can presumably expect more "Rogue One" stars, jumping in for a quick inclusion. Ahsoka Tano's return is being teased, but not properly confirmed. Finally, Grand Admiral Thrawn's bodyguard Rukh, is also set to make his debut in the series. Warwick Davis will be voicing this role. Hints of these developments weren't specifically felt through the Final Season's official trailer that has been made available on Youtube, but it sure promised a serious, conclusive, and definitely explosive finale to the series. The first two-parter episodes entitled "The Heroes of Mandalore" have already been screened exclusively for attendees. Fans of the series, or those who ended up watching it like yours truly, should anticipate the return of the fourth and final season later when it premiere this Fall on Disney XD.

Marvel TV

Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." gained a boost of interest due the final arc of its currently airing 4th season, "The Framework". Despite that achievement though, in general the continuously declining ratings for Marvel's first MCU-oriented TV show remains a lingering concern. And it is made worse because the network, ABC, tends to not announce renewal for its shows until sometime in May. May 16th, 2017 to be precise, though individual confirmation might always arrive earlier than that schedule.

The good news is, Entertainment Weekly evaluated the possibility for most running shows with 'uncertain future', and deduced that at the very least, AoS will be given another season, even if just only one more. I think it's a good idea, as the showrunners are given the chance to conclude their run in a satisfying manner, tying up all the loose ends. The bad news is, with Marvel's "The Inhumans" stealing the network's attention, there's always the unexpected turnaround of AoS eventually getting axed early on, to clear out some excess baggage and schedule. After all, we've experienced this before with both the cancelled Marvel's "Agent Carter", and Marvel's "Most Wanted" that never even saw the light of day.

I'm aware that some, if not many fans would feel disappointed with this decision. Particularly when other networks are still on a hot-streak, as they renew their superhero shows over and over again no matter how the audience perceived them. But I for one, will not feel as bad if AoS eventually gets cancelled, or given just one final season. Looking on the bright side, the absence of AoS can pave the way for spin off shows like perhaps, Ghost Rider, or the actual Secret Warriors. Not to mention, any members of the AoS cast can then move on to star in a Marvel Studios' big screen production, right? No more scheduling issues that prevented the two divisions from properly crossing over. That would all be cleared up with the series' end. Mind you, things are not yet certain for now. Filming for Season 4 had already wrapped the other day, so I doubt even the showrunners and cast can tell anything in advance regarding their show's future. So whether you're rooting for the show or not, you better start crossing your fingers, to hope the best, while expecting the worse possible outcome as well.

As for "The Inhumans", it's also still unclear whether this 8-episode mini series will be a first season of more to come, or just this one off. It's likely that this new show is being set up as the replacement for AoS, but with Marvel Studios also planning a movie for them, things just become a little cloudy and murky to predict. One thing for sure, the mini-series might have recently cast actor Chad James Buchanan in a mystery role. Buchanan tweeted this hint, and then later deleted it, implying that he might be playing an important role. Considering I have poor knowledge on the Inhumans comics and its character, and also unfamiliar with Buchanan's previous roles (was he really in "Glee"? I honestly can't remember), I can't exactly predict who he'll be playing. Or whether he's any good. Perhaps an antagonist? A NuHuman, like writer Charles Soule had confirmed? Then again, it's always possible that he's just playing a random one-episode only character, not unlike Lewis Tan in "Iron Fist". So perhaps it would be wiser to not think too highly of him too soon.

Netflix

With Marvel's "The Punisher" effectively in post-production, we can expect promotional stuff for the new series pretty soon. Particularly as SDCC 2017 is coming in just around 3 months from now, and the high chance of Marvel TV's presence. One of the more likely giveaway to be handed over during the event, might very well be that one specially designed poster coming from the hands of Joe Quesada. For the time being, it's a freebie handed out to cast and crew, but I suspect fans are going to get a hand of it pretty soon as well. Quesada did a similar poster before this for Marvel's "The Defenders", and likewise, this poster gives us glimpse of Jon Bernthal's main character Frank Castle, as well as his supporting cast. You can check out MCU Exchange for their description of who's who in this poster.

It seems this show would be taking extra liberties, thus many things would be vastly different compared to the comics. MCU Exchange pointed out, that Ben Barnes' Billy Russo might not be set up as an antagonist. At least, not until the first season ends. Which isn't that much surprising, since we've seen the same slow-burn treatment in previous Marvel-Netflix shows, with Sacha Dhawan's Davos being the latest example. The good news is, we can stare at Barnes' charming face a lot longer before his character, assuming it's going by the book, gets roughed up to jigsaws. But the bad news of this approach? Well, it seems that once again, this show would be using the exact same pattern and premise of the previous shows, which might or might not work for everyone. Especially those who have sensed a repetitive painstakingly SLOOOW formula that's starting to make them feel... 'bored' with the Netflix Universe. Yes, I'll be honest, I'm one of those people. I'm personally hoping at least "The Punisher" will offer something fresh and different, to break new grounds, and not go through the exact same motions, scenarios, and story beats of its older brothers. Otherwise, I might just have to say no to it...

The Telltale Series

Telltale released a trailer for the first episode of "Guardians of the Galaxy" via Marvel's official channel. As far as I know, there will be 5 episodes just like previous Telltale titles, so there are four more coming after this. Clearly this release is timed real well to coincide with the worldwide premiere of "Vol. 2". The Guardians seems to be taking on Thanos in this series, but it's unclear if it will include more characters inspired by the movie. Anyways, Guardians, and in general, Marvel fans should look forward for this. I'm still a bit taken aback thanks to the character designs, but when it comes to video games, it's really the gameplay that really counts. So I'm wishing it will have better luck in that department.

Ace Attorney

Through their recent Nintendo Direct, the company announced that "Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2: Naruhodou Ryuunosuke no Kakugo", or translated as "The Great Ace Attorney 2: Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s Resolution", will be available for Nintendo 3DS on August 3rd, 2017 for 5,800 yen retail-price, or 5,546 download-price. As a follow up to said announcement, CAPCOM officially released two new trailers for the game's new trailer. The first featured Sherlock and Van Ziek, while the second put Sherlock and Iris Watson in the spotlight.

A web demo has been made available through the title's official Japanese website, accessible on PC and smartphones. If you prefer to simply watch, then there are some gameplay videos you can watch online instead. You can found them on Youtube, through this link and this one. CAPCOM has listed story and character details, like Ryuunosuke's cousin Ryuutarou, and the case he'll be involved with. The company also offered several exclusive bonuses for those who purchased the game early. You can read these through the official site though it requires a bit of Japanese Kanji knowledge, or via Gematsu for the translated version. There are also two Special Edition sets: - The Great Ace Attorney 1&2 Limited Edition: Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s Adventure and Resolution, that will launch on August 3rd, 2017 for 7,200 yen. This will include both games, as well as a mini soundtrack album. Those who haven't purchased the first title might opt to take this one due to the discount price. - The Great Ace Attorney 2 e-Capcom Limited Edition, that will launch on August 3rd, 2017 for 9,800 yen. Pre-orders has begun on April 18th at 13:00 JST. This will include "Read Aloud CD" featuring the characters of the game, a Ryunosuke Naruhodo piggy bank, a "University Notebook", and a set of three pencils. Three exclusive coasters will be awarded to the first prints. This one's obviously for the Ace Attorney enthusiasts and item collectors.

Professor Layton

LEVEL-5's latest project in the popular mystery-puzzle series, the one that will feature Layton's daughter, has been officially renamed into "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy" (it was previously called "Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadne's Conspiracy"). A release date has also been announced. This new game will arrive on July 20th, 2017, for Nintendo 3DS in Japan, and on iOS and Android worldwide (available in eight languages). It seems the non-Japan version of Nintendo 3DS will arrive later in Fall, though that part is left unclear for now. Also currently unclear, is the pricing of the game.

As already revealed before, Katrielle Layton and her assistant, the dog Sharo, are the main characters of this game. She will go on a quest to locate her missing father, the great Professor Hershel Layton. London-based Katrielle is said to be "jack-of-all-trades and mystery-solving detective", someone who will take on any job and solve cases with bizarre ideas. While Sharo, is a... well, talking dog. There's going to be a new gameplay style with the hope of attracting new players, as solving smaller conundrums and puzzles is now necessary to complete a bigger goal. Thus the tagline for the game is "high-speed comical puzzle-solving story". Despite that, interactions with witty and weird characters will still remain the same, as the game divulges into a story of "dramatic developments and amusing incidents". Ain't that sound interesting! Well you can see it for yourself through the game's latest trailer. Looks familiar but also different, eh? I wonder how expensive this will cost, because I sure would want to play it. Even if only to find out what happens to Layton, and the identity of Katrielle's mother... XD.

Sonic the Hedgehog

A quick 1-minute footage for "Sonic Forces" also made its way through Nintendo Direct. This time around we get to see Classic Sonic in action. But not just that, the announced third character has been teased at the end of this footage as well. And... is that Tails? He looks like a cat or something like that, and it is said to be a 'New Friend', so definitely not Tails. Which begs the question... for a game that features two different timeline of Sonic the Hedgehogs, why would an external character becoming the third playable lead? Why not just give the spot to... say, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, or his other friends? Hmmm... curious.

Aside from previewing a cool futuristic main theme for "Sonic Forces", SEGA also debuted a new gameplay video for "Sonic Mania". This video showcased the co-op mode, with the female host playing Tails, as the two character scoured their way through 'Green Hill Zone' Act 2. Fans of the 8-bit era titles will be nostalgically delighted with this title. "Sonic Mania" is set to be released this summer for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, while "Sonic Forces" is due out this holiday.

[bevioletskies]

20 questions [12/20]

characters: peter/gamora, guardians-centric

fandom: avengers academy/marvel cinematic universe

summary: wasp has a new competition in store for the students of avengers academy, and there’s money involved. so obviously, peter and gamora have to pretend to be a couple in order to win. wait, what?

chapter preview: janet announces two new school-wide events, gamora tries to change her strategy when it comes to dealing with her feelings, and yondu is the captain of this ship, and no, I'm not talking about the eclector.

word count: 5301 | total word count: 118k

a/n: listen, yondu being alive and well in this au of mine might be one of my favourite parts about writing it.

ao3 | previously | next | masterpost

So maybe, just maybe, it was a little narcissistic for Peter to think this way, but it seemed as if the entirety of the Academy was breathing a little easier once he and Gamora had made up, and were successfully faking it again. They held hands wherever they walked (so long as the others weren’t with them - Rocket had taken to making kissing noises whenever they stood a little too close together), kissed whenever they had to part ways for classes, and told stories about their “dates” to anyone who would listen.

Except this time, unlike their “origin story”, as Peter had called it, the “dates” were nearly one hundred percent truth. They talked about the rude SHIELD agent, the date in Shakespeare Park, the musical, the museum - they even mentioned dancing in the hotel room, in which Gamora rolled her eyes in pretend fond annoyance, while Peter winked at their enraptured audience. “Can always count on a romantic song to set the mood,” he had said cheerfully. Hey, if they weren’t going to talk about how that night had ended in private, they could at least play it up in public.

On Friday afternoon, after classes were over and everyone had dispersed out onto the quad, Janet was once again poised to make announcements, this time sitting atop the bulletin board, megaphone in hand. “Attention, Academy students!” she hollered, as if she wasn’t already amplifying her voice enough. “Just a reminder that voting ends in two weeks, so get your ballots in. We need more volunteers for ballot counters, sign-ups are available at Avengers Hall. Also, we have two new super exciting events ready to share with you guys!”

“Now what,” Rocket groaned. “She ain’t gonna break out a confetti gun, is she?”

“Ten units it’ll be a fog machine instead,” Yondu said.

“Deal. Shake on it.”

“As a school of heroes, we’re always working towards saving the day. I mean, that’s our number one goal here, right?” The crowd cheered ecstatically. “But I think there’s one more thing that we can do to close out this school year as a way of giving back - a fundraiser festival!” Janet kicked her legs up and down in excitement. “There’s so much talent at this school that doesn’t always get celebrated the way that our hero-ing skills do. So, you can either sign up to present a talent, or, volunteer to run a booth! There will be a bake sale, a dunk tank, a temporary tattoo artist, and maybe we can get a kissing booth set up?” She winked, causing giggles to ripple through the crowd. Director Fury was shaking his head nearby, arms folded in defiance. This was what he got for running a superhero school full of teens and young adults.

“I am Groot?”

“Kissin’ you’s like kissin’ a baby, Groot. Don’t think anyone here’s running for president anytime soon, ‘cept maybe Cap.”

“I have also finally gotten Director Fury to agree to host a prom this year! Tickets are on sale now at the Avengers Hall, and ticket sales, plus all our fundraising money, will go towards various charities around the world and Damage Control right here in New York.” Janet beamed. “The theme for this year’s prom will be…”

“Ten units it’s Under the Sea.”

“I bet ten it’ll be A Night to Remember.”

“...Masquerade Madness!” Janet squealed. Yondu and Rocket muttered “damn!” under their breaths in sync. “Everyone will be wearing a mask - bonus points if it looks like your actual superhero mask. But don’t actually wear your superhero mask, that’s lazy and I’ll be mad.” The students exchanged dubious looks - they didn’t like Janet when she was angry. “Anyways, that’s all! Thank you, lovelies!”

As the crowd began to disperse, chattering excitedly to their friends about what they were going to do for the fundraiser or who they wanted to go to prom with, Peter stepped closer to Gamora, hands moving to settle on her waist. She shivered at the touch as he bent towards her ear, kissing the side of her head before whispering, “I have an idea. Follow my lead.”

“I would if I knew what your idea was,” she muttered back, though he ignored her in favour of walking around her so he was facing her front. Her eyes widened in alarm as he got down on one knee, arms spread wide.

“Gamora,” he said loudly, and what was that odd not-British accent he was doing? Out of the corner of her eye, she could already see other students forming a circle around them, whispering to each other as they watched their spectacle. Janet had flown over, phone in hand, eyes the size of saucers. Kamala was bouncing up and down nearby, tweeting with reckless abandon and trying not to squeal too loudly. “My incredible, beautiful, deadly, powerful, deadly powerful - ”

“Quill,” she huffed, though she tried and failed to hide her smile behind her hands.

“ - will you go to prom with me?” Peter finished, looking so wonderfully earnest she could feel her grin spreading even wider. It was as if he was really hoping she would say yes, but that there would be a chance she would say no, and really, why would she say no?

“I thought it was a given, considering you’re my boyfriend,” Gamora said, and wow, she did not say that word out loud enough, it felt too foreign on her tongue, “but yes, of course I will.”

A cheer went through the crowd, firmly solidifying Peter’s somewhat arrogant belief that his relationship with Gamora had become a beloved part of the school’s social environment. As he got to his feet, his usual cocky grin on his face, he wondered how else he could possibly play up the moment. Gamora seemed to have the same idea, launching herself in his arms with surprising force, burying her face in his neck. “Smart,” she murmured, breath hot against his ear. “Our classmates will definitely know we have made up by now.” She pulled away, but not before taking both of his hands in hers, squeezing gently.

“And we continue to be the cutest couple in school,” Peter replied softly, smiling. “Let’s go get our tickets.”

“Wait! I have a confetti gun I want to use on you guys! Come back!”

“HA! Pay up, blue boy.”

“Ain’t never betting on nothin’ with you again, rat.”

______

Dinner that night on the Milano was a much more raucous affair than that of the previous three nights, now that Peter was back with his team. Everyone’s spirits were lifted, relieved that their leaders were once again back in a good place. Peter even offered to help Mantis and Drax cook (“You have burned water, Quill, get out”), but instead was relegated to setting the table.

“Man, I missed you guys,” Peter sighed happily. “The whole ‘broody loner’ schtick really doesn’t work for me.”

“I don’t understand none of the crap that came outta your mouth just now,” Yondu said, slapping him on the back. “But we missed you too, boy. Twig got all weepy, it was awful.”

“I am Groot,” he protested, though he jumped up and down, arms outstretched, for Peter to scoop him up.

“I missed you the most,” Peter told him, resulting in a tiny wooden smile so cute that even Nebula, who was otherwise sulking in a corner, had to fight the urge to grin. “But hey, while I was away, I watched a couple movies with songs you might like. I’ll play ‘em for you sometime.” Groot nodded eagerly, patting his small hand against Peter’s cheek before jumping back down again onto the kitchen counter.

“You done cryin’ about your own problems yet?” Rocket entered the room, lugging what looked like a giant detonation device behind him. “Found this mysterious piece of crap dumped outside. Probably Stark’s. Has all the parts we need to get the Milano finally back up and runnin’. This your doing, Quill?”

“No, but he’s been sneaking stuff in for us, as far as I can tell,” Peter replied. “It’s a good thing, right? You don’t have to acknowledge he helped, and we can finally get my baby working again.”

“Your insistence on referring to the Milano as a child is disturbing.” Gamora had walked into the room and swatted Peter’s arm playfully in a surprising display of casual affection, a stoicism in her eyes that didn’t match the gentle smile on her face.

“Not a child, my child.”

“Do you people ever talk about anything of significance?” Nebula’s sigh was almost impressive as Director Fury’s. “Gamora and I have decided to kill the Black Order. We apparently require your assistance.”

“Oh, hell,” Yondu groaned, throwing himself down on the couch. “Can’t we focus on one thing at a time, girl? Got enough on our plate as it is.”

“Your failure to perform well at school has nothing to do with the rest of us,” Nebula shot back. “Try harder.”

“Nebula.” Gamora clicked her tongue at her sister disapprovingly. “Let’s not turn this into a fight for once, okay?”

“That’s hypocritical, considering you and Quill having a lover’s spat nearly made this whole team fall apart in a matter of days.”

“We had a misunderstanding, it’s fine,” Peter said defensively. “Mantis, Drax, is dinner ready yet?”

By the time everyone had finally sat down to eat, Peter was reminded of how exhausting it was to keep up with his ridiculous team of misfits, but damn if he wouldn’t trade them in for all the units in the world (alright, maybe Nebula, but she was slowly growing on him, too. She was important to Gamora, so by extension, she was important to him as well).

“I spoke with Janet earlier today,” Mantis said after a few thankfully silent minutes of everyone stuffing their faces. “She said she didn’t want to give away the current voting results, but that you and Gamora seem to be in second place at the moment.”

“Second? Who’s in front of us?” Peter exclaimed, food nearly spilling out of his mouth as he spoke.

“Captain America and Agent Carter, of course,” Mantis replied with a shrug. “Even students who do not care much about love voted for them because it is a love that spans decades.”

“Gamora and I have literally seen each other almost die, like, ten times each. Isn’t that romantic?” Peter was flailing again, waving his fork around haphazardly. Gamora moved to gently push his hands down before he could knock over everyone’s cups in the process.

“The almost dying isn’t romantic, Quill, the ‘saving each other’s lives’ part? Maybe,” she said dryly, letting her hand linger for an extra moment before moving away.

“We could stage a - ”

“No, no, boy, you are not riskin’ your hide just to win sympathy points from those fools,” Yondu said fiercely, slamming a fist down on the table, causing the dishes to rattle. “You’ve had some stupid ideas in your life, but that might be one of your worst yet.”

Sulking, Peter slumped back in his chair, throwing down his fork in defeat. “We gotta give it one last boost. Two weeks, and voting is over. It doesn’t even matter what we do afterwards, but something’s gotta be done now.”

“What happened to the other categories? You are all acting as if this is the only one that matters,” Nebula said with a smirk. “Have we all become so invested in this lie that we’ve forgotten about winning ‘Best Team’?”

“You technically are not part of the team,” Drax reminded her. “Frankly, I’m unsure if it will ever happen for you.” Nebula sneered in response. Gamora stomped on Drax’s foot from the other side of the table, shooting him a warning glare. He let out a howl of pain.

Mantis’s hands shot out to clasp at both Gamora and Drax’s wrists, quick to subdue them before it could escalate. “Actually, Janet says we will probably win that one,” she said, brightening. “The Avengers fight too much, the Defenders are scary to a lot of the newer students, and the other teams are not as prominent in popularity. Peter is especially recognizable to the general public. There are many girls who like to post on social media about him.” Peter could see Gamora’s nose wrinkle in disapproval, so he reached to gently pat her on the leg under the table, hoping no one else could see.

“Awesome, so that’s fifty thousand units in the bag. No, Drax, there’s no physical bag,” Peter interrupted himself as Drax opened his mouth. “And as much as I want to win Most Attractive Team...because that’s apparently a thing, the Avengers look like freaking models. And we have a raccoon.”

“I’M NOT A - ”

“I am Groot.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, that’s fair.”

“As always, I’ve gained nothing out of this.” Nebula stood to leave with her plate and cutlery, half of her food still left over. Her dramatic exit was ruined by getting stuck behind Drax’s chair on her way out. They all watched in awkward silence as Drax scraped his chair along the metal floor to allow Nebula to side-step with her back against the wall, an increasingly murderous scowl forming on her face.

“We should figure out a plan of attack against the Black Order or she might attempt to leave again,” Gamora muttered to Peter.

“You think we can wait until after the voting’s done?”

After dinner was over, Gamora went to go give Groot a bath (it was usually Drax’s chore, though he’d been protesting against it ever since Groot had been sick that one time and puked on him in the shower), Rocket disappeared to start taking apart the device Stark had “donated”, and Drax followed him to “help” (more like observe and criticize despite knowing nothing about engineering compared to Rocket), leaving Yondu and Peter to take care of the dishes.

“I think I finally figured Nebula out,” Peter said as he dumped a generous amount of dish soap into the sink. “She doesn’t make dramatic exits from dinner because she’s mad or irritated, she does it to get out of dish-washing duty.”

Yondu started opening all the cabinets in search for a clean washcloth. “And y’all say I’m irresponsible.”

“You literally haven’t done homework in like, three months, man,” Peter pointed out. “You’re smarter than this, Yondu.”

“Don’t lecture me about smarts,” Yondu grumbled, finally locating one behind a stack of suspiciously foggy-looking shot glasses. “I know what I’m good for, and it ain’t school.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t try,” Peter said. He began scraping the food scraps off the plates into their composter. It seemed slightly clogged, but he couldn’t tell if it was because it was a terribly cheap machine or if Rocket had been messing with it for parts.

“I’m done talkin’ about this, but you know what I wanna know more ‘bout? You and Gamora,” Yondu said, straightening up with a smug grin. “What happened? Y’fought for like, five days straight. That’s a record for you two.”

“We both said stuff we regret, no need to share the details,” Peter mumbled. “She might’ve also made it pretty clear she doesn’t actually want to date me, and I guess it just made me kinda sad, but, y’know, I’ll get over it.”

“You asked?” Yondu’s eyes widened. That seemed like an unlikely turn of events. Peter was overconfident at times - well, most of the time - and might’ve overdone it, whatever it was he had done, but Gamora didn’t seem like she would turn him down. She was starting to look just as gooey-eyed around Peter as he did around her. Not that Yondu was paying attention, of course.

“No, but she’s weirdly trying to set me up with girls I barely know,” Peter huffed, throwing the plates into the sink a little more aggressively than he needed to. “You don’t do that with a guy you want to date, therefore, she doesn’t wanna date me.”

“You do if you think it’ll make ‘em happy,” Yondu said, frowning. “If you love someone, you do whatever it takes to make ‘em happy. Don’t you know anything about love?”

“Come on, Yondu,” Peter sighed. “We grew up together. You know that ‘love’ wasn’t ever really a part of my relationships, if you could call ‘em that. Gamora’s...the closest I’ve ever had.”

“Now, now, Quill. You put on a big show, make them girls think you’re smooth,” Yondu said, pacing around Peter. Oh no, Peter thought, it’s Yondu’s Dramatic Speech Time™. “You charm ‘em, kiss a fair bunch, sleep with a couple ‘cause you think it makes you happy. And it does, for a while. But then, you ditch the Ravagers, try to start over, fresh, at the Cosmic Conservatory, and you see a girl that spins you on your head.”

“The pacing really isn’t necessary,” Peter interrupted, but Yondu just continued as if he hadn’t heard him.

“It’s not just that she’s pretty - and she is - it’s that she’s clever, she’s resilient, she’s strong, she’s unlike all the girls you been after your whole life. You flirt with her, but it don’t work ‘cause she’s smarter than that. You don’t wanna give up because she’s somehow different. But then this whole orb business, and Ronan, and you go back and forth, saving each other’s lives, and next thing y’know, you’re runnin’ a team together, living on a ship together, goin’ to school together. She’s everywhere, and she’s almost too important, so you play house instead.”

“Yondu - ”

“You’ve gotten too comfortable in pretendin’, boy,” Yondu said, brandishing a wet spoon at him. Peter winced as it made an incredibly disgusting squelching sound. “You gonna let a good thing like that slip away ‘cause you think she don’t feel the same? Here’s an idea - ask her.” He stood even taller, a satisfied look crossing his face. “I’ll only believe ya if she actually says no.”

Peter blinked at him in disbelief. “Do you know how dramatic you look when you do that? No, don’t answer that, you definitely do.” He sighed, turning back to the sink so he could scrub at the last plate instead of looking at Yondu’s smug expression. “Look, I’ve only just sort of acknowledged that I have feelings for her, okay? And this isn’t the first time - for some stupid reason, I - you know what, I’m not telling you about that. But now, I know for sure, that I like her, a lot, and I’m not ruining a good thing by telling her.”

Yondu snorted. “That’s what all those idiots in those films a’yours say. What’re you waitin’ for, boy, some big, life-changing moment?”

“No,” Peter snapped. “I’m waiting for proof that she feels the same. You think I like getting hurt?”

“So all them girls you flirted with before, you knew it was a sure thing? Never thought you’d get turned down?” Yondu leaned against the counter. “I don’t believe that.”

“Getting turned down for a date or a casual hookup is one thing,” Peter said, setting the last dish down, staring at it intensely like it had personally offended him. “Being rejected when you tell someone how much you like them? When they’re one of the most important people in your life? A whole ‘nother ballgame.”

“So you’re sensitive,” Yondu shrugged. “Your strength and your weakness, if y’ask me. Love, compassion, that’s your real power, ain’t it? You care so much about people you don’t even know. I’m just sayin’, a girl like Gamora, she’s a toughie, but she’s got some baggage. Insecurities, like everyone else. She might need you to spell it out for her before she shows her hand at all.”

He walked away with a knowing smile and wink, leaving Peter feeling thoroughly chastised. Yondu was only older than Peter by a year or two, so why did he feel like just got lectured by a father he didn’t have? He shivered a little at the thought of what his actual father had been like - a “complete and utter jackass”, to quote Yondu’s apt description of him. The way he’d tried to get between Peter and the other Guardians, the way he’d taunted him about his mother. Peter winced when he remembered how Ego had compared his relationship with Gamora to be like his own relationship with Meredith. Never, Peter thought fiercely.

Left alone with his thoughts for a few minutes as he mindlessly rearranged the kitchen cupboards (who thought it was a good idea to put preserved eyeballs next to the jam? Why did they have preserved eyeballs, and who was eating jam?), a voice pulled him back to reality. “What’re you doing?” Peter jumped, turning to see Gamora standing there, leaning against the wall, wearing one of his hoodies, her hair slightly damp at the ends. He raised an eyebrow. “Groot was fussy and splashed me, don’t look at me like that,” she chuckled. “Why are you moving everything around? Do you not have homework?”

“I do, which is why I’m doing this instead,” he lied smoothly, shutting the cupboard door. “You staying here tonight?”

“Are you?” She stepped closer, blinking up at him. “It’s the last Friday before I finally get back to performing at Club Galaxy. I thought we could do something.” Peter was pretty sure his brain short-circuited when she bit her bottom lip, an impish grin forming on her face.

“You, uh, have something in mind?” Peter was very confused. He couldn’t be sure, considering he’d never seen her do it before, but was she flirting with him? He’d been surprised enough yesterday when Gamora had ended up sleeping in his bed, but now her tone suggested she wanted a continuation. Before his brain could take him to a different line of thinking, he weakly suggested, “Another movie, maybe?”

Which is how he found himself, once again, in his (other) bed with Gamora pressed against his side, showing her -

“Dirty Dancing?” she said. “You’re not even trying to pretend anymore, are you?”

“Why’re you wearing my jacket?” Peter blurted before he could stop himself. He wasn’t sure why the thought to ask had suddenly registered in his head, as if she hadn’t been wearing it for the past twenty minutes already. She looked so at home in his clothes that he could feel all those feelings bubbling up again in his stomach, both something oddly warm and comforting, and something that was urging him to do something he’d regret.

“Janet is having some girls’ tea party - I don’t even know why - and I thought that showing up wearing what is clearly my boyfriend’s jacket would help,” Gamora said. She didn’t even look convinced of her own words - as valid as her point may be, it explained nothing about why she was wearing it now. Still, he decided not to comment as he mulled over what Yondu said. She was, despite her warrior’s exterior, still a young woman with sensitivities. He’d seen it in the discomfort on her face when he’d confronted her about what she said about him, how words could hurt her more than any weapon ever would. It wouldn’t do him any favours to point out the flaws in her logic.

He hummed, laying his head down on the pillow, wondering vaguely if she was planning on staying in his bed tonight as well. Probably not, considering her room was just next door, but it was a nice thought. Unlike Gamora, Peter had shared a bed with people before. Not always for sexual reasons, but with his mom when he’d had a nightmare, or even with Yondu when the Eclector was particularly overcrowded (Yondu didn’t like to talk about it). There was something about waking up to see her next to him that made him feel safe. And maybe, for a moment, he could pretend it was a result of something real. He stole a glance at her, watching as her dark eyes fixated on the screen, taking in Baby and Johnny’s dance practice. “Maybe we should do the lift at prom,” Peter said, half-jokingly.

“I hope you’re not expecting that,” Gamora said, pointing as Jennifer Grey crawled across the floor. He momentarily got distracted by the mental image that her idea had provided him.

“That would be really difficult to do in a prom dress,” he chuckled. “Hey, so do you really want to go to prom?”

“It would be odd if we didn’t,” she replied.

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Peter said softly. “Not for the con. For you.”

“I like experiencing the things I missed out on,” Gamora said thoughtfully, finally turning back to look at him. “I guess it makes me feel like I've become a part of something meaningful, even if it is just a school dance.”

“Then I'm glad to be a part of it,” he declared. “Now, after this movie is over, you have to tell me whether you've had the time of your life…”

______

The weekend passed by with little issue, all things considered. After the turmoil the team had gone through in the past month, they were grateful for the mundane, monotonous crawl of a lazy weekend. Peter was still a little rattled by Yondu’s speech, but he knew it came from a place of caring, as much as Yondu would deny it.

Peter and Rocket even managed to fix the Milano and finally get her up and running once more. True to his word, Peter started off by doing his repairs in a T-shirt, stripped down to a muscle tank, and eventually decided to go shirtless for the last couple hours in the height of the afternoon sun, sweat dripping down his forehead. He was pretty sure there was some irony in being cat-called by Tigra and Black Cat as they passed by the loading bay.

“Is this display necessary?” Gamora sighed when she had dropped by after spending most of her day with Janet and the other girls. “It’s not that hot.” He noticed she was still wearing his hoodie, now fully unzipped over her usual “uniform” of a blank tank top and leather leggings. It was a good look on her.

“You might be used to wearing all-leather outfits in the peak of summer, but I’m not,” Peter replied with a smirk. “I thought you’d enjoy the view, honey.”

“Yes, I don’t know why you’re complaining, Gamora, unless you want to keep him all to yourself,” Felicia purred. “You could cut diamonds on his stomach. I should try that sometime.”

“Don’t talk about him like that, his ego is already the size of his ship,” Gamora said, frowning, though she moved closer so she could kiss him. If her hands lingered on Peter’s bare torso for a little while longer than they needed to, well, that was her business.

Sunday was when the Guardians caught up on homework, albeit separately. Yondu also took the opportunity to chase the others down and chastise them about slacking. “You are telling us not to slack?” Nebula said, eyes narrowed. “That is a first.”

“Not on homework, girl. Your sister and Quill,” Yondu said, causing her to groan.

“Still on about that, are we? You seem oddly invested,” Rocket commented slyly. “What’s going on there, Yondu?”

“You really wanna know?” Yondu snapped.

“Yeah, actually, I do.” Rocket stood to his full height (three feet tall, so hardly intimidating, but to his credit, he had one of his signature BFGs by his side). “I wanna know why you care so d’ast much.”

“Then I’ll tell you.” Yondu settled into the armchair, glancing around to make sure Peter and Gamora were nowhere nearby before starting. “I might not’ve been captain yet, but when I was a kid Ravager, we had a job to go pick up some skinny kid off Terra. Weren’t allowed to ask questions about why or what we were doin’ with him. I watched ‘em big boys haul in that snot-nosed kid, who wouldn’t stop cryin’ about his mama. I was one of the only kids on the Eclector, so they told me to shut him up by any means possible. I didn’t wanna hit him or nothing, he was probably 60 pounds soaking wet. So, I asked him if he knew why he was here, what happened to his mama. Next thing I know, kid’s rattlin’ off about his music, all the shit he’s got in his backpack that she bought him, stuff like that.”

Mantis leaned forward, eyes wide, enraptured. “And then what happened?”

“One of the men - not the cap’n, just one of them commanders - came in and yelled at me for makin’ it worse. I say, ‘kid’s scared, he thinks we’re gonna sell him into slavery. We ain’t doing that, are we?’. The guy decks me across the face - me, also just a kid.” Yondu sighed slowly. “Then Quill, ‘cause he’s a dumbass, starts hittin’ the guy - who’s prob’ly 300 pounds on an off day - kickin’ him in the shins, hollerin’, saying ‘leave my friend alone, he ain’t done nothing’. We been talking for an hour tops, and he already thinks we’re friends.”

“That sounds very much like Quill,” Drax said, smiling fondly. “A man of good intention and terrible execution.”

“The guy don’t leave ‘til Quill’s got another black eye and a couple bruised ribs, but he’s smilin’ like he won a million units, ‘cause he’s decided that I’m stuck with him,” Yondu continued. “All cheery-like, tells me his face hurts, like I can’t tell. Won’t shut up about nothing ever since. And we get older, we start talkin’ about girls we like. Go out on jobs, see pretty girls, we flirt with ‘em, it can’t hurt. And I’ll admit, Quill’s more successful ‘cause he’s got that something special, y’know, but then he ditches the Ravagers for the Cosmic Conservatory. When I finally see him again, he’s talking about some girl with a sword who kicked his ass. And yeah, he mentions how pretty she is, but it’s everythin’ else that makes me realise there’s more to her than that. In some ways, feels like the way he used to talk about his mama - with love, with respect. He got it bad.”

“You really trying to say Quill’s had a crush on her since the beginning?” Rocket said, skeptical. “I mean, yeah, now he’s pretty obvious about it, but what about before when we were fighting Ronan? He was all business once we got down to it.”

“Gotta have your priorities straight, boy,” Yondu said, wagging a finger at him. “No time for nookie-nookie when there’s a maniac on the loose. Anyways, I been listening to Quill yammer on about nothin’ for years, and all a’sudden, he’s reluctant to talk. Something’s changed - it’s for real this time. For the first time, he’s nervous about losing. So we gotta help him out, push ‘em both in the right direction.”

The group fell silent for a moment, considering. “I have been helping,” Mantis piped up. “They are both too stubborn to admit it, but I can tell they both want it to be real.”

“Admittedly, I’ve not really done my part,” Drax murmured, head bowed as if he were ashamed. “But neither of them listen to me as much as you or Yondu.”

“I am Groot?” He blinked up at them slowly, hopeful.  Rocket nodded approvingly.

“That’s actually not a bad idea, Groot,” he said. “Groot thinks he can use the ‘child’ angle to his advantage. Y’know, bring out the parenting instincts.”

“That’s good, twig,” Yondu said, smiling. “So, we all clear now? Get ‘em together so Quill can get back to normal. This weird, evasive crap? Ain’t like him.”

“If it will get you to shut up about it already,” Nebula muttered.

a/n: fluffy ridiculous OTT team dynamics are everything. hope y'all found this chapter to be a breather after the ridiculousness of the last one. next chapter's a fun one - the team finally take on a new job now that the milano's up and running, which may or may not make our lovely "couple" question whether they're doing this for the money anymore. also, black cat and tigra for those of you who don't know who was hitting on peter in that end bit there.

[bevioletskies]

20 questions [5/20]

characters: peter/gamora, guardians-centric

fandom: avengers academy/marvel cinematic universe

summary: wasp has a new competition in store for the students of avengers academy, and there’s money involved. so obviously, peter and gamora have to pretend to be a couple in order to win. wait, what?

chapter preview: natasha is suspicious, the students attend a funeral, and mantis gets the wheels in motion on yondu's brilliant (?) plan.

word count: 3554 | total word count: 118k

a/n: did i also mention how much i adore mantis? because i really do.

ao3 | previously | next | masterpost

“Will you please sit down? Your pacing is making me irritated.”

“You’re always irritated, ain’t got nothing to do with Gamora.”

“Might have something to do with you, rat-face!”

“DON’T CALL ME A RAT!”

“BE QUIET!” Gamora bellowed, finally stopping her quest to wear a hole into the carpet so she could reprimand her teammates. Nebula and Rocket were attempting to work on one of the weapons that had been damaged in the Sovereign fight, but honestly, anyone could’ve seen how poorly that was going to turn out.

Unlike Peter, Gamora had been released Sunday afternoon, giving Peter another six or so hours of boredom to go through, completely alone. She had offered to stay to save him from going insane, but he had waved her off, insisting she help the other Guardians get it together.

Although she had been secretly hoping for a continuation of their game, most of the morning was spent giving formal statements and completing frankly mind-numbing paperwork for Maria and Pepper, respectively. She wished she hadn’t felt so small when Maria had stared her down with a steel glint in her eye, asking Gamora if she would be attending the fallen SHIELD agents’ funeral. Did people still think she was so cold-hearted?

Lunch had been idle chat, debating what to do about the Milano’s failing engine and broken wings (again), and then a nurse had come in, checked her over, and promptly deemed her free to go. And now, here she was, babysitting her sister and an especially irritated Rocket.

It was saved by Groot barreling into the room, fresh and bright-eyed after his nap. She sat cross-legged on the floor - her thigh was starting to ache a little from her bones putting themselves back together so quickly - and he climbed into her lap, reaching up for her like a baby who wanted to be held. “Hi, Groot,” she sighed. She could never be too irritated when he was around.

“I am Groot,” he said happily, sprawling across her forearm so his head was resting on her palm. She smiled back, removing her rings so he wouldn’t get caught on them.

“She’s not supposed to know about the plan, you idiot,” Rocket exclaimed. “Stop talking before she starts understandin’ you.”

“What plan?” Gamora’s brow furrowed.

“Just ignore him. It’s what I do,” Nebula drawled, flexing her metal fingers. “Are we done yet?”

“Why? You got somewhere to be?”

“Yes, it’s ‘anywhere but here’.”

“If Quill didn’t go and get himself injured, then maybe he’d be here instead-a you, so - ”

Gamora exhaled slowly. Mantis had taught her about deep breathing to calm the nerves, but she had a feeling that was only going to go so far today.

______

Natasha tapped her pencil impatiently against the leg of one of the many large wooden tables in the Timeless Archives, to the irritation of the rest of the students nearby. Even her tablemates, calm as they may be, were starting to exchange looks, wondering if something was wrong.

“Um, Natasha?” Sam said. “Everything okay?”

“I’m...just...peachy,” she sighed.

“You’re not convincing me,” Steve said, setting down his own pencil and leaning forward on his elbows. “What is it?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Natasha said, smirking. Thankfully, she finally stopped tapping away. “It’s a good one.”

“Aw, come on,” Clint complained from her left. “Now you have to tell us.”

She continued to smirk, drumming her fingers on the table. She couldn’t help the theatrics, it had been ingrained in her a while ago. “I know you boys don’t keep up with Janet’s show, but I do. Not to mention one of her girls’ nights from last week. It’s where I found out that Quill and Gamora are together. And they’ve been holed up in the hospital all weekend after that spectacle with the Sovereign.”

“Didn’t think you were one for gossip about romance,” Steve commented, diplomatic as always.

“It’s not so much about that. It’s the timing. Suspicious, isn’t it?”

“I don’t follow,” Sam admitted. “You know me and Steve. We’re soldiers, not spies.”

“Jan announces a contest that involves money, and suddenly, Quill and Gamora are ‘comfortable’ with telling people about their romantic relationship, which could conveniently bring in ten thousand dollars? Gamora might be my friend, but Jan and I are much closer, and I don’t want her getting emotionally manipulated and duped because the Guardians need cash.”

“You think they’re pretending?” Clint whistled. “Wow. That’s like, couple cliche number three.”

“The weird thing is, I tried to test this theory,” Natasha continued, shooting Clint a dirty look. “I gave Gamora a clear opportunity to obtain ten thousand dollars - legally - and she rejected it. And yet they still keep up the pretense of being together.”

“Doesn’t that prove it’s for real?” Steve asked. “I mean, Natasha, this is a pretty big thing to accuse them of. The Guardians have proven to want to redeem themselves, over and over again. They’re not con artists anymore.”

“But why turn down the money? It wouldn’t be out of character to take it, regardless of whether they’re actually dating or not,” Natasha said, fingers curling into a fist. “And that they’ve been dating for months - you’re telling me that Quill wouldn’t shout it from the rooftops from the beginning? Not to mention the fact he still keeps flirting with other girls, like he’s got no one to be faithful to.”

“You’re jumping to a lot of conclusions, Natasha,” Steve said firmly, his eyebrows knitting together to form his Captain America face. “It’s simple - they didn’t want to take money they didn’t earn, Peter wants to respect Gamora by keeping their relationship a secret until she was ready, and he’s probably just being friendly. You tell me that I seem to be flirting with women all the time when I’m not.”

“I know it’s in your nature to be suspicious of people, but maybe just let this one go,” Sam said, his voice gentle. “If we see anything else that matches your theory, we’ll let you know, but for now, leave ‘em be.”

Natasha’s head bowed, before looking back up. “You’re right. Maybe. I just want to look out for Janet.”

“Word of advice? Don’t tell Tony.” Steve looked certain of that. “He’s going to get too overprotective, and we don’t need any more in-campus fighting.”

“Little hypocritical of you, Cap.” Three heads turned to stare at Clint accusingly. He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying - the whole civil war thing was kind of, y’know what, I’m gonna shut up now.”

______

Classes had been cancelled on Monday so students could pay their respects to the fallen SHIELD agents, causing a bit of chaos as exams, deadlines, and whatnot were shuffled around. Peter in particular had returned to his dorm room the previous night instead of the Milano to double-check his progress on his case study on Inhuman rights, as much as he had wanted to be back with his team. It was stupid, considering how much time he spent with them, but he’d missed them as he fell asleep on his much-nicer bed that night.

And thanks to his unusually comfortable mattress, he was now late for the funeral. Just perfect.

Granted, the service wasn’t about to start yet, but he knew Gamora was waiting for him outside the building so they could walk to the quad together. He nearly flew out the building in haste and almost missed her, standing right at the door, in what appeared to be a black blouse tucked into full-length leather skirt, with a capelet thrown over her shoulders. Her hair was expertly pinned up in a way that suggested it had been Mantis’s doing. “Whoa,” he said. Then he paused. “I said that out loud, didn’t I.”

“Yes you did,” Gamora said, shooting him an amused smile. She approached him slowly, laid a gloved hand on his arm, and leaned forward to gently kiss his cheek. Nearby, Peter could hear the distinctive giggles of Mary Jane, Gwen, and Felicia, likely observing them, even more likely taking pictures.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I really shouldn’t be commenting on how you look for an occasion like this. But you do look really nice.”

“Your tie is crooked,” Gamora said in return. “But thank you.”

The quad was a few minutes’ walk from the dorm, the air feeling more and more somber as they got closer, students flooding in from several directions. Peter could vaguely see Professor Pym wearing a black lab coat, chatting to Odin, who was wearing some of the nicest pitch-black furs he’d ever seen.

As they walked along the fringes of the seating area, looking for the other Guardians, Peter reached for her, lacing their fingers together. Gamora turned to look at him for a moment, confused, before a moment of realization crossed her face and she squeezed back. They eventually filed in on the end of a row of seats, where the others looked relieved that they had made it in the nick of time.

______

After the service and transfer of the coffins to individual quinjets, which would take the families back to their hometowns to bury their loved ones, the entire campus seemed particularly morose. It was a comfort, Gamora thought, to have Peter’s hand in hers.

Students walked about rather aimlessly, stopping to talk quietly with their heads bowed to whoever they ran into. Agent 13 seemed the most distraught - although she had been the one to lead the successful charge, she had also been trained alongside one of the dead.

“You cannot blame yourself,” Peggy was saying to her grand-niece. “You did so well, my darling.”

“You would've done better, Aunt Peggy.” Sharon looked so devastated that Gamora had to force herself to look away.

“Death isn't something I wanna think about much, but man, stuff like this really gets to me,” Peter murmured sadly.

“It is not the dead that I pity,” Gamora said. “It is the living, the ones who go on to remember them. Or forget. You and me, for example.”

Peter’s face softened. “Our parents.”

“No service held for my family, and just one person alive who knew them at all,” she nodded, pulling them aside to stop by a tree. “Are you feeling alright? You've been leaning slightly. I should check your stomach wound.”

“It's just a little sore on one side, I didn't wanna put too much weight on it,” Peter promised, taking her other hand. She looked down at their joined hands, feeling the growing heat of the morning sun radiate through them both.

“Gamora?”

Startled out of her reverie, she turned to see Adam standing there, slightly puzzled. “Oh. Hello,” she said, attempting to feign a polite smile.

“You two doing okay? Sorry I didn't get to check in on you both at the medbay, but Yondu didn't seem so intent on me going in,” he said, an awkwardness in his face that wasn't usually present. Gamora realized he was looking at their joined hands.

“I should talk to Yondu about that, sorry, man,” Peter said, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “How about you? I heard nothing after we got taken out.”

“I headed straight for the ground as soon as you guys got hit. Ships here just aren't built for a thin atmosphere,” Adam shrugged. “So, uh, Gamora, about the amps…”

“Maybe another time, Adam.”

“But - ”

He was interrupted by a loud groan, Peter clutching at his side. “Ah, uh, babe, we might have a problem.”

Alarmed, Gamora instantly ducked under his shoulder to support him, nearly tangling their arms in the process. “Medbay?”

“Dorm’s closer, I just restocked my first aid kit. Ahh, careful!”

“We should go,” Gamora said briskly, nodding at Adam as an afterthought, hauling a surprisingly heavy Peter back to the dorms.

He continued to make agonizing noises all the way back, to the point of scaring Peter Parker in the elevator. It was only after Gamora got them inside and set him down on the bed, that he suddenly fell silent.

“Quill?” she whispered, worried he had lost the ability to breathe. When she looked up from where she'd been ripping at his shirt, she could see his face, perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened.

“You didn't want to be around him,” Peter shrugged, leaning back on his elbows. “I could tell.”

“So you faked it? That is not your decision to make!” She moved as if to run her fingers through her hair, only to remember it was pinned up. He briefly wondered if she was going to strangle him instead.

“You seemed uncomfortable,” he protested. “You're weirdly polite when it comes to Adam. You would've brushed him off if he was anyone else.”

“What are you trying to say?” She straightened up, staring down at him.

“I - nothing! Just that you're generally nice to him than you are to most people!” He sighed. “It just makes me wonder if maybe, I don't know…”

“No,” Gamora said firmly. “I know what you're going to say, and no, I do not. Don't ever do that again, or I will - ”

“Kill me, I got it,” Peter said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Gamora, I know you can handle yourself, it’s just instinct, alright? Especially in social situations, you can be kind of...a loose cannon. If it was just a random guy threatening your life, I know you'd have it under control in five seconds flat, but this was different. I shouldn’t have taken that away from you, and I’ll let you deal with it next time. Promise.”

He held up his hand and stuck out his pinky finger in what looked like some bizarre salute. She frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, right. It's called a pinky swear,” he said with a chuckle. “My mom and I did this sometimes. It’s for when you agree on something, like shaking hands.” He took one of her hands, and gently maneuvered it so their fingers were looped together.

“It looks more like a lazy way to hold hands,” she commented.

“It can be that, too,” Peter smiled, swinging their joined hands between them for a moment. Gamora had to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling back. As irritating as he could be, Peter was always good at making her feel better. It was an annoying talent of his.

“I should go,” she sighed, pulling away rather reluctantly. “Now that I know you're actually not hurt. We have homework to catch up on.”

“You going to the Milano?” he asked. She nodded, and at that movement, she could feel her hair slightly shifting and falling out of its shape. She paused to reach up and undo the (rather excessive amount of) bobby pins, letting her hair cascade back down around her shoulders.

Gamora looked over to see Peter staring at her oddly. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said, though his eyes were oddly fixated on her hair and not her face. “I'm just thinkin’ about how I'm fake-dating the coolest girl in school.”

She ducked abruptly in an attempt to hide the heat rising in her cheeks. She really needed to get out of here before this went somewhere she wasn't prepared for.

______

The rest of the day was a somber affair, especially for the SHIELD-turned-Academy students who had known the fallen. Agent 13, Phil Coulson, and Daisy Johnson in particular had gone back to bed, the weight of the world pulling them back to sleep, while others coped by sneaking off to Club A early, in hopes that Ultron bot would be ready to serve them drinks.

For Peter? He had invited Mantis to his room so they could study together. She hadn’t been at the school very long, but luckily the Academy was very blasé about inviting new students every month, so the curriculum wasn’t nearly as structured as regular schools, allowing her to catch up.

They were both lying on Peter’s bed, surrounded by books, looseleaf paper, and their holo-tabs, working their way through the case study Peter had attempted (with little success) last night. He smiled when he saw Mantis’s wrist, adorned with her neon green friendship bracelet, clicking softly as she wrote. There was a few charms strung on, including a little alien head, a star, and a music note. Herself, the Guardians, and her brother.

He had grown very fond of Mantis very quickly, despite his initial worries about her empathic abilities. As much as he liked Gamora and tolerated Nebula, their personalities could prove too much at times, exhausting, even. Mantis’s gentle, innocent nature was bittersweet - a reminder of how she had grown up in isolation, but allowed her to explore things for the first time with her new family. Although they weren’t related by blood, Peter instantly felt the need to look after her and help her in understanding herself and the world around her. Mantis had admitted she had no idea how many years had passed while living on Ego, so she didn’t know how old she was, but her emotional maturity had made him think of her as his younger sister.

“You are not very good at concentrating,” Mantis informed him, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Do you want to talk instead?”

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean, if it’s between working and not working, I’m gonna choose not working. My brain’s still a little fuzzy from the funeral.”

“Would you like some help with that?” she said patiently, reaching to touch his arm. He shook his head. “Okay. Well, um, Peter?”

They both shut their books, rolling onto their sides so they could see each other better. “Yeah?”

“I am sorry I did not come to see you in the hospital,” Mantis said, looking so worried that Peter’s heart broke for her a little. “I am not a very good sister.”

“You’re a great sister, Mantis,” he said firmly. “Groot needed someone to look after him, you were the best one for the job. I was okay, Gamora was there with me.”

She perked up at this. “You and Gamora...our classmates seem to like the idea.”

“You mean the whole relationship thing?” Peter smiled. “I don’t know how it’s gonna go. I mean, we’ve got like, two and a half months left into this whole thing. Can we really pretend for that long?”

“You think it will stop being pretend?” Her eyes were huge, practically staring into his soul, daring him to answer.

“No, I mean, it’ll be hard to keep faking it. Someone’s gonna slip eventually, accidentally tell someone. Probably me,” he admitted. “I’m almost hoping we’ll have some month-long expedition somewhere so we can spend most of it away from everyone else.”

“So you are immediately going to break up after the yearbooks are out? That does not seem smart,” Mantis said, tapping him on the nose with her pencil. “You would have to at least pretend for a little while longer, or it will be suspicious.”

“We probably should’ve thought this through.” Peter groaned, flopping his head down onto a pillow. “I thought I could do my usual thing, y’know, make stuff up as I go, but that’s probably not gonna work this time.”

“You need a plan,” Mantis said sagely. “And I have one.”

His head popped up. “What? You do?” He watched in awe as she pulled up a file on her tablet, with what looked like a step-by-step list of things to do in order to keep up the charade. There were links, pictures, and did he see the word ‘contingency’? What the hell? “Uh, what the hell?” he said aloud.

She only grinned at him, and wow, he really needed to teach her how to properly smile. “The others thought it would be a good idea to come up with a plan while you two were gone. I helped!” She scrolled to the top, eager to show him. “We were thinking that this weekend, you and Gamora should go on a trip alone together.”

“The Milano is down,” Peter said, confused.

“Not on another planet, just here,” Mantis said. “You would not have to pretend for the benefit of our classmates, but it would be seen as romantic. A small getaway after a traumatizing event.”

“That is...actually kind of brilliant,” he said, giving her an encouraging smile. “I mean, Gamora and I need to do a supply run anyways. We could come up with more fake dating ideas while we’re away from everyone else, and get some work done without dealing with school drama.”

“Exactly!” she said excitedly. “You would just have to do a couple things - maybe go to a museum or something - and be seen in public. Janet will want to look at social media to see if the famous Guardians have been spotted.”

“You’re a genius, Mantis,” Peter said, slinging an arm across her back. “So what else have you got here - ”

“No peeking,” she squealed, yanking the tablet away. “The rest is not done yet. So you will do it?”

“I’ll talk to Gamora first, but she’ll probably agree,” he replied, rolling back to face the ceiling. His glow-in-the-dark constellation stickers winked at him as the evening darkness swept into the room. “I hope she’ll agree.”

a/n: short chapter, but as you can see, i'm setting up for some interesting times ahead ;) also i promise adam and natasha aren't antagonists, they're just a part of the dynamic. it's why i set this fic in the AVAC!verse, so the Guardians aren't just operating in a vacuum as they currently are in the MCU.

If anyone is wondering what Gamora's funeral outfit looks like, I imagined it like this.

[grootiez]

The Joys of Raising a Teenaged Groot- Chapter 45: The Twitch

It was early the next morning, Rocket was stirred awake by Groot, who was making cooing sounds in his bed.

“Groot?” Rocket got up from his cot to see what was bothering his son. “Everything okay, buddy?” He asks as he looked at the teenager, who cooed again. “Alright, you just relax and we’ll get started to go back to the nursing home. Maybe the rest of the gang is there waiting for us.” Groot cheered at Rocket’s words. “Hey, let’s watch some TV to pass the time, okay?” Rocket watched as his son became relaxed as he turned on the TV for him.

Rocket cuddles up next to Groot in bed as they watch different shows for the next hour and a half. At 7 AM, Azrik, Cre’Nok, and Xalani came by to do their morning checkup on Groot.

“Hi guys.” Xalani greeted father and son as Groot yawned and Rocket got up from his spot on Groot’s bed so that Xalani could examine the teenager. “Groot, sweetie, how are you feeling? Does your neck ache anymore?” She inquired as she sat down where Rocket previously was and gently rubbed the sides of Groot’s neck with her fingers and hands. The teen groaned a little bit, but wasn’t overly uncomfortable.

“Groot, I know that you’re not going to like this, but can I get you to sit up?” Cre’Nok asked as he put Groot’s bed in an upright position and helped Groot sit up while supporting his head. “There, now do you feel lightheaded or dizzy?” Groot grunted to signify that he wasn’t feeling lightheaded or dizzy.

“Groot, can you follow my finger by moving your head?” Azrik prompted Groot as the teenager slowly moved his head from side to side with Xalani’s help. Azrik then changed the direction he moved his finger and Groot followed by moving his head up and down. Groot, however felt a little bit of pain and moaned to let everyone know. “Alright, Groot, we’ll let you lay down.” Azrik calmed Groot as Azrik and Cre’Nok layed Groot back down on his bed.

“Guess Groot ain’t well enough to leave, is he?” Rocket, who was disheartened to hear his son’s cries of pain, asks.

“Actually, he can leave today.” Cre’Nok answered, much to Rocket’s surprise. “Our main concern was the dizziness and him feeling lightheaded. But since Groot doesn’t feel like that, he is cleared for discharge.”

“But what about the pain in his neck?” Rocket wondered.

“When we give him his morning medications, we’ll also give him a pain reliever for his neck and he’ll feel better in an hour.” Xalani explains just before she leaves to gather Groot’s medications and morning feeding.

When Xalani returned, she prepared Groot’s feeding tube for his usual medications, this was followed up by the additional syringe that contained the pain reliever. She then hooked up the bag that contains the formula Groot needed for sustenance. After about 30 minutes, Groot was done with getting his formula and Xalani disconnected his feeding tube and cleaned it out.

“Alright, Groot.” Azrik got the teen’s attention as Groot looked at his main caregiver. “Since you can’t wait to go back to the nursing home and want to get out of here as soon as possible, we’re going to let you slide on getting a full bath and instead give you a sponge bath today.” Groot was happy at this. Azrik then changed his tone of voice as he took off Groot’s braces in preparation for his bath. “However, we still need to change your diaper and get a new catheter put on, but other than that, after you get dressed, you can get out of here.” Azrik calmly told Groot, even though the teenager wasn’t a big fan of having to get a new catheter inserted and he wasn’t looking forward to the pain associated with it.

“Groot, Groot.” Rocket was fast to come to Groot’s side. “It’s okay. Do you want to get out of here?” Groot squeaked yes. “Alright, then you have to do this. If you think of something else and not concentrate on what’s going on around you, we can be done and then we can go home, okay?” Groot still was nervous as he saw Xalani get a new catheter out from the supply drawer and draped a cover over Groot’s groin. “Shh, shh...”

Groot started to shake when he heard Xalani undo the tape that held his diaper together. His fear didn’t die down as she started to clean him and removed his catheter. Groot screamed as he felt the one sensation that he hated the most.

Surprisingly, Groot didn’t cry during his sponge bath and it went by fast. However, when it was time for the teenager to have a new catheter put in, the fear soon returned.

Xalani thought fast to ease Groot’s fear as she placed the drape over his groin. “Hey, Groot, I’ll be fast. Here, how about you hold Rocket’s hand and squeeze it if you get scared, but I want you to try not to scream, okay?”

Groot squeaked as Rocket held his hand and encourages his son to concentrate on him instead of what Xalani was doing. Luckily, Rocket was successful in distracting his son and Groot didn’t even notice the catheter going into him.

“Good job, sweetie.” Xalani praises Groot as she takes away the drape. “Now, let’s get a fresh diaper on and then you’ll be ready to get dressed.” She said as she put a clean diaper on Groot before she left to check on her other patients.

Azrik then sat by the teenager so that he could put Groot’s arm and leg braces on him. “Groot, what pants do you want to wear today?” He asks Groot as he held out two pairs of draw-string pants: a blue denim pair and a black denim pair. Groot, not wanting to move his arms, looked at the blue denim pair. “Alright, Groot.” He obliges as he puts the pants on Groot.

“Hey, Groot?” Rocket calmly got Groot’s attention as the teen cooed towards his father. “What shirt do you want? I’m sorry that none of these are your style, but that’s all I brought with me.” Groot eyed the deep blue shirt with his childhood idol, Bob Ross. Rocket was shocked, Groot lost interest in Bob Ross as soon as he became a teenager. “Y-you sure, Groot?” Groot cooed again to confirm his choice.

Azrik helped Rocket get Groot’s shirt on. As a team they got Groot’s head through the hole at the top and for the sleeves, Rocket scrunched them up so that Azrik could carefully maneuver Groot’s arms through since Groot couldn’t straighten them out. They also asked if Groot wanted to wear his specially-designed shoes that were made so his leg braces could fit in them. They also asked if Groot wanted to wear socks, but again, Groot declined.

Xalani came back from caring for her other patients. “Oh, Rocket, Azrik, it’s cold outside.” She stated. “You might want to get a jacket on Groot before he goes outside.”

“Thanks, Xalani.” Rocket said as he got Groot’s jacket out of the closet and draped it over the stroller handles of his wheelchair as Cre’Nok came back from his duties.

“Xalani, are you ready to get Groot out of bed?” Cre’Nok inquired as Xalani nodded. “Rocket, can you bring over Groot’s chair and park it next to the bed?”

“Already ten steps ahead of ya.” Rocket chimed as he pushed his son’s wheelchair, parked it next to the bed, and applied the brake in the back. “Do you want me to tilt it too?”

“Yes, that would be beneficial and helpful for Azrik and I.” Cre’Nok replies as he and Azrik prepare to lift Groot. “Alright, Groot, we’re going to get you into your chair now, okay?” He informed Groot as he and Azrik hold Groot in their arms. “Okay, on three. One, two, three!” He counted down just before they got Groot into his wheelchair. “There we go. Now, Groot, is your neck comfortable?” Groot grunted to let his carers know that he was in pain.

“Wait a sec. I ordered him a new headrest and it just arrived today. Let me go out to the van and retrieve it.” Azrik said as he left to retrieve Groot’s new headrest.

Five minutes later, Azrik returned with the aforementioned headrest. He took it out from its protective packaging before taking Groot’s old headrest out as Xalani carefully lifted Groot’s head up. Azrik then slotted the new headrest into place and after Xalani lowered Groot’s head onto his new headrest, they adjusted the side supports until Groot was comfortable with everything.

Cre’Nok’s beeper went off. “Oh, Xalani, we’ve got to take this.” He whispered to his assistant. “Don’t worry, we’ll be done in time to get Groot discharged.” He added just before him and Xalani left.

“Oh, Rocket, Groot, the van got fixed yesterday and I brought it up today so that we won’t have to wait for a taxi. I’m going to go pull it up to the front so that we can leave as soon as possible.” Azrik remarked to Rocket. “Can you handle getting Groot ready?”

“Yeah.” Rocket nodded. “One thing, can you help me get his coat on?”

Azrik agreed and together they got Groot’s jacket on him. Rocket scrunched up the sleeves so that Azrik had an easier time of getting Groot’s arm through. When that was done, Azrik carefully made Groot lean forward so that Rocket could toss him the other half of Groot’s jacket as the raccoon tucked the back of it behind Groot. They repeated the process with Groot’s other arm.

“Alright, I’m going to go get the van now. Rocket, can you finish getting Groot buckled in?” Azrik beseeched Rocket as the raccoon nodded before Azrik left.

After Azrik left, Rocket zipped up Groot’s jacket. “Warm, buddy?” He asks Groot as the teen squeaked in response.

Rocket then began to put Groot’s various seatbelts on so that his son was secured in his wheelchair. The raccoon started with Groot’s padded lap belt, which was the second most important belt that his son had to wear since it ensured that Groot wouldn’t slide out accidentally. Rocket then got Groot’s chest harness on him and this was the most important part of his restraints because it prevented the teenager from slouching forward in his chair and possibly preventing him from breathing properly. He then gently placed Groot’s arms on the armrests and positioned his hands on the palm rests before strapping them down. Groot didn’t like it and let out a little whine, but Rocket had no other choice because these straps were a safety measure for his son so that he couldn’t get his hands near the rear wheels of his chair and possibly get injured if they were not buckled in. Rocket then went over to the corner and got Groot’s lap tray and his talker and attached those to his chair.

“Alright, Groot.” Rocket aroused his son. “I have to tie down your feet. I’ll leave the straps loose, but not too loose that they slide, okay?” Groot cooed at Rocket as he placed Groot’s weaker left foot in its footrest and tied it down.

Rocket was about to do the same thing with Groot’s right foot when he noticed something. Groot’s big toe on that foot twitched. It was subtle, but not to Rocket, who couldn’t believe what he saw. This was too much for Rocket to take in to finish securing Groot in his chair. Is Groot starting to regain feeling in his legs? Will Groot be able to walk again?

Rocket couldn’t handle his emotions so he went over to the chair in the corner and buried his head in his arms to regain his thoughts. The emotional impact of Groot twitching his toe made Rocket cry. Rocket let go of his feelings until Azrik, Xalani, and Cre’Nok came back and saw the sobbing raccoon.

“Rocket? Everything alright?” Xalani whispered soothingly to him as she handed him a tissue.

“Y-yeah.” Rocket sobbed as he choked away the tears. “Gr-Groot. H-he tw-twitched his toe.”

Cre’Nok then picked Groot’s right leg up and took it out of the brace. “Groot, can you move your toe for me?” He insisted to Groot, who obeyed and moved his toe again. “Good job, Groot.” He praised Groot as he placed his leg back in its brace and strapped it to the footrest.

“What does this mean?” Rocket mumbled quietly.

“Well, the chances of us getting Groot to walk just went up tremendously.” Azrik said as he and Rocket pushed Groot to the van so that he could go back to the nursing home so that he could begin his therapy.—————————————————————————————————————————

Read on Ao3.

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