Chapter Text
“Where were you!?” Mantis yelled as she paced back and forth. She still couldn’t believe they convinced her to get on the ship. It had taken a lot of yelling, and she may have kicked Drax in the face, but still, there she was, waiting for Peter and Rocket to explain what was going on.
“We told you, this guy was ready for us.” Peter said as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Please just sit down, you got shot for god’s sake.” Mantis stopped but didn’t sit down. She chose to cross her arms and stare at Peter instead. Ever since she told him they shared a father, he had been so protective of her. Well, more than he was before. Peter was sort of everyone’s big brother, he just gave off that ‘I’ll make fun of you relentlessly but risk everything to keep you safe and happy’ energy.
“Tell me what happened Peter. Exactly what happened.” She demanded.
Peter sighed and started to explain. “There was a Skrull among them, one that took the form of Adrix. He led us in the wrong direction, but once we noticed-”
“Once I noticed.”
“Whatever. Once Rocket noticed, it was too late and the teleport went off.” Peter finished.
“Then why are we not going straight to Nebula?” Mantis asked, almost desperately. She felt like she was barely keeping herself from drowning in fear. She didn’t know what they would do with Nebula, but the feelings she got from them told her it was nothing good.
“Listen,” Rocket piped up. “You said Nebula told you her hardware wasn’t damaged, right?”
“Well, yes, but-”
“That means her tracker is undamaged and we can find them wherever they go. But we can’t just take off. That’s why we’re in this situation in the first place.” He finished explaining. Sometimes, Mantis hated the tone he used when explaining things to her. It was the sort of voice you use when talking to a child.
Nebula never spoke to her like that. Sure she could be cold, and often blunt, but she laid things out for Mantis when asked, instead of rolling her eyes or telling her not to worry about it.
Mantis didn’t say anything, but she did finally slump into a chair, her head falling slightly. She heard the door open, and knew Rocket had walked out, Peter following after giving her a small pat on the back. She could feel his panic then, his pity. She knew she should be grateful for their planning, but all she could think about was getting to Nebula as fast as they could.
Mantis simply sat there for a moment, soaking in the emotions around her and filtering through them to reach her own. She took out her blades. She began sharpening them, trying to drown out the thoughts that surrounded her. She’d gained them some time after she re-appeared, when they were all traveling from place to place, helping anyone they could. Nebula had given them to her, telling her that she needed a back-up plan for if her powers failed.
Mantis had exempted them with glee. She had never received a true present before. She had been given resources, like clothes, water, food. But never something with true meaning. She’d asked Nebula to teach her, and the woman did so without complaint. That was one of Mantis’ most found memories, she thinks, training with Nebula.
The look she’d given Mantis before pushing (or kicking) her away haunts her. That pained smile highlighted but sad glassy eyes, leaving her in that dirty alley with nothing but a few scorched marks on the ground to stare at in horror. Her throat still hurt from screaming.
She struck the blade too hard and sliced her finger. Cursing, she brought it to her mouth to suck away the sting.
The door opened again and heavy footsteps approached her. Drax sat down next to her, leaning back. “Don't worry so much, we’ll get her back and I will stab the one who took her through the abdomen. It will be glorious.” He said, looking off into the distance with a wistful expression. Mantis glared and put away her blades.
“No it will not! Seeing Nebula hurt and captured will not be glorious!” Mantis half yelled at him. She knew he meant well, but couldn’t find it in herself to care.
Drax huffs at her, “You’re so annoying when you’re scared.”
“Of course I’m scared, Drax! Nebula is alone, she left me and now she’s probably being tortured and I-”
“You love her.” He said simply. Mantis stops and stares at him.
“What?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly.
“What?”
“What did you just say?”
“You’re annoying?”
“No Drax, after that.”
“Oh, you love Nebula.” He said, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. And, Mantis realized, maybe it is. She had seen love so many times, and felt it on other people. The love Drax held onto for his wife, the love Peter had with Gamora. She couldn’t believe she missed those same emotions in herself when she was with Nebula. Beautiful, dangerous Nebula who would take up the entire room when she entered it. Who protected Mantis by making sure she was prepared to protect herself. Who struggled through her pain everyday just so she could experience the life she deserved.
“Drax?” She said, her voice watery from the tears now welling in her eyes.
“What?” He said, turning to face her.
“We have to find Nebula.” S.he told him. His eyes softened at that, the way they only do when someone expresses their fears to him. At heart, Mantis knew he would always be a father.
“We will. Idiot.” Mantis punched Drax in the arm, but allowed him to pull her closer. She tried to hold on to his words as they traveled closer to Nebula and the person that stole her away.
___
“Remind me why you’re tagging along?” Rocket asked as they snuck through a metal tube of death. Mantis breathed deep, shuffling quickly to keep up with him. When they were discussing who would go where, Mantis made it clear she would follow Rocket through the vents of the ship and into the cargo bay where they seemed to be keeping Nebula.
“Because I need to save Nebula.” She said simply as he stopped at the grate’s entrance.
“Right, and what exactly do ya bring to this duo? Why didn’t cha’ go with Quill to take out Adrix? Yer’ good at the whole ‘go to sleep, be my slave, blah, blah, blah’ thing. This part requires stealth and tech know-how.” He turned slightly to face her after taking out the last screw. “Neither of which ya have.”
“If she is in pain, I want to be there to soothe it.” She said, and that part was true. It just wasn’t the whole truth. Rocket raised an eyebrow, clearly acknowledging the words she’d left unsaid.. “And I need to see her with my own eyes to make sure that she is safe.”
Rocket hummed and pushed open the grate, hopping out easily. Mantis followed with much less grace, trying her hardest not to fall on her face, and looked around the room. It was clearly meant as a holding cell, what with the bindings and the various cages. It wouldn’t take much to realize these people were traffickers.
“Where is she?” Mantis whispered, but Rocket ignored her and ran to the nearest control panel, typing something in. She looked around again, trying to find any trace of Nebula. She refused to believe they had come here for nothing, or worse, that she was gone. As she walked towards one of the cages, she noticed a dark puddle on the ground, something not quite dry.
At that moment, the crashing waves that had threatened to drown started crashing down on Mantis. She felt tears well in her eyes at the thought of Nebula bleeding out all alone down here. She could almost feel the crumbling sense of abandonment in the air, not to mention an ache of familiarity. Nebula had been tortured so much in her life. Mantis refused to consider it happening all over again.
“Looking for something?” Mantis was knocked from her thoughts by the voice. Turning, she found Adrix standing there, holding a gun to an unconscious Nebula’s head.
“Let her go!” Mantis yelled, drawing her blades. Rocket had turned to face them by now, a look of worry crossING his face before he covered it up.
Adrix laughed, filling Mantis’ ears with a toxic, rushing sound. “I don’t think so sweetie. I think you’re going to drop those toothpicks and call up your leader. We’re gonna have words about the daughter of Thanos here, and what exactly you’ll do to get her back.”
“Never.” Mantis said, clenching her teeth so hard she felt they might crack.
“No? Well then, I suppose you should say goodbye to your pet maniac here.” He said and the gun lit up with a charge.
“Wait!” Mantis all but screamed as Rocket piped up with, “Chill out man, sheesh.”
She shut her eyes tight, then opened them as her knives hit the ground with a loud clang and Rocket’s gun followed suit. Her only solace was Rocket’s incapability of going anywhere without at least three weapons.
Adrix smiled and powered down the gun. “That was just too easy.” he said with a chuckle. “Tell me something, why do you care so much about this one, huh? Don’t you know who she is? What she’s done ?”
“It does not matter!” Mantis yelled. She couldn’t stand to hear him talk like that anymore. Not while she was looking at Nebula, there in front of her yet so far away. Even unconscious and defenseless, she was so beautiful.
“We’ve all done terrible things, horrible things. But Nebula is one of us. She cares for us, protects us. We love her. So of course we would do anything for her. I would do anything for her.” Mantis said, her voice almost a whimper.
“Well,” Adrix started. “Then you really are the biggest idiots in the galax-” he was cut off as the heel of Nebula’s boot slammed into his nose and he stumbled back, but not falling. Rocket took the opportunity to shoot him in the shoulder, making sure he hit the floor. Where Rocket was hiding that, Mantis didn’t care. Right then, she was focused on Nebula, who looked more unsteady then she ever had.
She proved that by stumbling forward, but Mantis was there to catch her before she fell, lowering them both gently to the floor.
“Nebula? Are you ok, where are you hurt?” She asked, frantic now that she could see the damage done to her up close. She’d clearly been beaten, and her stab wound didn’t look great. She scanned the cyborg’s body, all the way up until she reached her face. Nebula was just…staring at Mantis, her face full of something she assumed was shock from, well, everything. “Nebula?”
She didn't answer at first, but visibly gulped. “Did you mean that?” she asked, her voice rouph.
“What?” Mantis asked. She was backtracking to anything she might have said to offend Nebula. There was no way she could be mad at her when she’d only just rescued her.
“What you said, that you,” Nebula looked away. “That you care about me? Do you mean that?” Mantis’ eyes widened as she realized what Nebula was talking about. She smiled softly at the girl, suddenly overcome with affection for the way this woman could face anything without fear, anything except the way others felt about her.
“Oh Neb, of course I care about you.” She said, and Nebula gazed up at her in wonder.
“Disgusting.” Adrix spit from where he was crouched, holding the wound on his shoulder tight. Rocket was nearby, snarling as he pointed his weapon at the man. “You should be rotting in hell for what you are, you freak, I should have killed you when I had the cha-” He didn’t get the chance to finish as blood began bubbling from his mouth and falling to the ground below.
Mantis returned the blade that sliced his throat to her sheath and looked back to Nebula. “Are you ok?” She asked, her voice soft. Nebula hadn’t taken her eyes off of Mantis, and she was beginning to think Nebula had a concussion, if that was even possible for her. She just thought to ask Rocket when hands fell on her cheeks and pulled her down.
Suddenly there was something smooth and cool against her lips, and Mantis felt a small jolt of nervous, aroused, loving emotions. Nebula is kissing me , she realized. But before she could process that, or more importantly, enjoy it, Nebula retracted.
She looked up at Mantis with a stunned, almost horrified expression. Mantis doesn’t think she’s ever seen Nebula look that way, and she had to admit to herself, she enjoyed it.
“I-” she started to say, but Mantis refused to give her the chance to overthink it. She pulled her back, kissing Nebula deeply. She let her hand slide from Nebula’s shoulder to the back of her neck, trying to encompass the entirety of the girl. Nebula was frozen for a second, much like Mantis had been, but it didn’t last long.
The kiss felt like the first time Mantis threw a knife, or when she had used her abilities to silence Ego. It felt powerful, it felt right. She felt her chest rumble with a noise she’d never made, something deep and filled with pleasure. It must have been something good, because in response, Nebula pushed against her even harder, and Mantis wanted to-
“Ok, ok that's enough of that.” Rocket said and they jumped apart. He was standing in front of the exit with a paw over his eyes and a look of disgust on his snout. “You guys can suck face later, preferably far away from me.” And with that, he turned to walk out of the room.
Mantis was about to tell Nebula they should follow, but then she heard a small chuckle from below her. She whipped back to see Nebula laughing. Truly laughing, with a deep purple dusted across her cheeks. Mantis beamed at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh in return.
Once they had exhausted themselves of this, Mantis shifted and stood up, pulling Nebula along with her. She felt so much joy and affection, and when Nebula grabbed the hand Mantis had on her shoulder, she felt love soaring through her. Nebula’s love for her.
Mantis knew they had a lot to talk about, and that with Nebula, it wouldn’t be easy. But Mantis was happy with that. She didn’t want it easy.