Archive of Our Own

“I am Groot?”

Gamora let out a startled yelp of surprise, unceremoniously (and a little too suddenly for her liking) yanking her hand out of the front of Peter’s sweatpants, nearly tumbling off the bed in the process. “Aw, Groot what the he - heck?” Peter hollered, scrambling to pull his T-shirt back down over his exposed torso. “How’d you get in here?”

The little one, who was casually sitting on Peter’s desk, swinging his feet over the edge, gave a shrug of indifference, smiling at them both so innocently, completely unaware of what they had been doing, as if he hadn’t interrupted them. “I am Groot.”

“I dunno what you just said, but I hope that was an apology,” Peter grumbled, watching as Gamora turned away to hastily wipe her hand on the bedsheets. “Something wrong?” He quickly scanned Groot inquisitively, but he didn’t appear to be sick or injured. Peter frowned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Did Rocket send you? I swear, that guy has a weird fascination with catching us in the act - ” Gamora elbowed him before he could continue.

Groot stood, walking across the desk to point at the poster Peter had hung on the corkboard above its surface. “I am Groot.”

“The Halloween party? You can’t be serious,” Gamora said, straightening up. “Groot, it’s not exactly age-appropriate. There’s going to be alcohol served there. And inappropriate dancing that Peter’s going to fail at convincing me into doing.”

Pouting, Groot stomped his foot petulantly, nearly ripping the homework Peter had left lying out in the process. “I am Groot!” he whined.

Sighing, Gamora got to her feet, crossing the tiny bedroom to scoop him up and set him on her shoulder. “We’ll talk about this in the morning, okay? It’s past your bedtime and I have no patience for your antics right now.” He stuck his tongue out at her in response, tugging angrily on a loose strand of her hair. “Ow - hey! Don’t be like that, or I’m feeding you Chr’yllite larva for breakfast instead of pancakes.”

Peter laughed to himself as Gamora briefly left to put Groot to bed, leaning back onto the pillows. He was still a little annoyed about being interrupted - they hadn’t even managed to take their clothes off yet - but he couldn’t blame Groot for wanting to celebrate Halloween. The others had been curious about Terran customs and holidays as each one came and went, but in a way, this was Groot’s first Halloween, despite them having been here last October. He had just been a twig in a pot at the time, his mobility limited to wherever Rocket would set him down. Now that he was running around on his own two feet, his curiosity only grew stronger. They still wouldn’t let him go anywhere by himself, fearing he would accidentally get crushed in the crowds of people across campus, but they did take him out to see more places, hoping he would be familiar enough with his surroundings so that he could navigate by the time he was big enough to go out alone.

“Where were we?” Gamora slipped back in, firmly locking the door behind her, before crawling back onto the mattress. Her hands moved to push Peter’s shirt back up under his armpits, tracing a fingernail over his bare abdomen, her gaze seductive.

“Wait - before we continue - did we actually make Halloween plans yet?”

She raised an eyebrow at him before settling back to kneel on the bed, sitting firmly on her feet folded beneath her. “I assumed we were going to the party. We went last year, after all. You got completely wasted. I had to literally carry you back.”

“Oh, man. That hangover was the worst,” he chuckled, reaching to loosely tangle their fingers together, bringing them to rest on his stomach. “Y’know, maybe Groot’s onto something. Not the party, but we should do something else for him. Make his first real Halloween fun. It was one of my favorite holidays as a kid, maybe it can be his.”

“As long as we don’t give him too much sugar,” she warned. “I don’t think I have to remind you what happened when Mantis left him alone with a bag of her Twizzlers. We’re never going to get that puke stain out of the wood.” Gamora pulled her hand away from Peter’s, instead splaying her fingers across his pecs. In one fluid movement, she swung one leg over, bracing her knees against his hips, and lowered herself down against his front. “So. Did you want me to finish what I started anytime soon, or do you want to keep discussing our holiday plans?”

“Continue, please,” he murmured, cupping the back of her head so he could bring her in for a kiss.

“So, we’re in agreeance on the embassy job?” Peter blinked. “Guys? Hello?”

To his dismay, the only other person who seemed to be paying attention, as always, was Gamora. She was glaring daggers around the table on his behalf, and seemed all of five seconds away from pulling out an actual dagger. “HEY!” she barked.

Everyone jumped in their seats, looking up from their respective devices rather bewilderedly. “You tryna blow our ears out, girl?” Yondu grumbled, cupping a hand protectively over his own.

“Don’t test me, I’m still pissed about you trying to steal our money,” Gamora snapped, brandishing her pencil at him. “What is going on with all of you? The faster we finish this discussion, the faster you can return to your stupid phones.”

“But Janet posted something about there being a change of plans for Halloween this year,” Mantis explained, holding out her phone for Peter and Gamora to see. “To continue her efforts in unifying the campus and providing a more realistic college experience.”

“It looks quite interesting,” Drax added. “Participating in this ‘trick-or-treat’ business might be more desirable than getting as inebriated as we did last year.”

“Speak for yourself, that was a great time!” Rocket hooted, slamming a paw against the table in joy. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Is this really what we’re talking about right now?” Gamora swatted the phone away, somewhat regretting it when Mantis gave her giant puppy-dog eyes in response. “We can talk about Halloween after we finish our line-up for November. Did everyone write out their due dates like I asked? We need to schedule around Peter’s debate and my combat final, I know that much, but as far as I can tell, no one else has given me anything. You can’t blame me if we end up off-planet during your engineering practical exam, Rocket.”

“God, you’re such a mom,” Nebula sighed, slouching across the surface of the table as if her elbows had suddenly stopped working (they hadn’t, she had performed a maintenance check on her robotic arm just last night). “Why am I even here? I’m not on this team, as you all like to remind me so often.”

“Director Fury says you and Yondu might get an early Christmas present this year and become official Guardians before December if you’re good,” Peter reminded her. “Might as well get used to it, Nebula.”

“Present? I want no part of this team if all it consists of is sitting around, talking,” she sneered. “Not to mention the fact that your last mission went horrendously.”

“What are you even talking about? It was the smoothest job we’d ever had,” Gamora frowned.

“Exactly. That sounds so incredibly boring.”

“It kinda was,” Rocket admitted, as much as he disliked agreeing with Nebula. “I’ve gotten used to the whole ‘almost-dying-and-having-to-save-everyone’s-butts-’cause-I-gotta-do-everything’ deal. This time, the most excitement we had was when Drax got a papercut.”

“It was very unpleasant,” Drax nodded solemnly. “I’m not used to seeing so much of my own blood. Only the blood of my enemies.”

“Can we finish this sometime today? Please?” Peter begged. “We have a whole week off ahead of us, and I don’t wanna ruin it with more team meetings.”

“I’m sorry, Quill, did you have plans?” Yondu said sarcastically. “I swear, all you ever do nowadays is hang with your girl.”

“Am I supposed to not hang out with Gamora?” Peter said, furrowing his brow in confusion. He glanced over at her, but she only shrugged, as perplexed as he was. “Besides, I do have plans that you would know about if you actually checked the freaking group calendar for once. Rocket and I were gonna go check out the new ammo they shipped into SHIELD yesterday. They repurposed some of the old Chitauri weapons from the Incident, and we know alien tech way better than anyone else.”

Groot perked up. “I am Groot?”

“Yeah, I guess you can come too,” Rocket said, patting him on the back. Pleased, Groot made his way down the table to Mantis, hefting her phone out of her hand and dragging it back towards Gamora, pointing at the screen eagerly.

“Groot…” Gamora let out another groan, running her fingers through her hair. Honestly, she had never experienced hair loss problems before becoming part of this team, and now she felt as if she were shedding like a Mephitisoid going bald. “Come on, now. We can discuss our plans after we finish, okay? I know you’re excited, but if we don’t get this done, we’re never going to have time to get back to it later.”

His bottom lip wobbling, Groot reluctantly returned to his spot by Rocket. Finally, Peter and Gamora managed to get their friends back on track, though they were all a little grumpier than they had been five minutes ago. Everyone answered with short, terse responses, uncharacteristically agreed with everything Peter and Gamora suggested, and got snappy whenever they were asked for their real opinions. After finishing all the items on the agenda, Gamora called for a break, completely fed up at this point with everyone but Peter. Even Mantis was starting to get on her nerves, a rarity for anyone. Drax and Mantis went to get dinner going, while Rocket and Yondu retreated to the cockpit to do their weekly Friday check-in call with Kraglin.

Peter, on the other hand, sprawled out onto the couch, gesturing for Gamora to join him. “I have a headache,” he told her. “Wait, let me rephrase that. This team is a headache.”

“At least we got everything out of the way for next month,” she sighed, settling into his side. “If you can even call it that. Not a single argument out of anyone. Rocket agreed to an engine cleaning on a Saturday.” She laid her head on his chest, smiling a little at the sound of his steady heartbeat. At least Peter had become much more reliable in their time together. His tendency to get distracted by other things was starting to diminish in favor of keeping them efficient. “It’d be nice if someone other than you and I actually cared about investing time and effort into our job outside of the missions themselves. To be quite frank, we’d be in debt if I wasn’t constantly, actively looking for work.”

“Yeah, and all Rocket wants to know is how much we’re making. It’s never ‘what’ or ‘how’.” Peter shook his head in disappointment as he slung an arm around her shoulders. “And thanks, Gamora. I dunno if you hear that enough.”

“Honestly, I don’t. At least, not from the others. You're almost a little too complimentary sometimes, especially when you want something,” she teased, patting him affectionately on the stomach. “And the whole ‘mom’ comparison, that’s starting to bother me. I don’t mind it in relation to Groot, or even referring to you and me as the parental unit of this team, but it does feel degrading and dismissive at times.”

“Then ask them to stop,” he suggested. “Make ‘em know you’re serious.”

Gamora’s gaze traveled to the armchair across from them, where Groot was lying on his belly, idly kicking his feet in the air, while he was flipping through a picture book. It was the kind meant to be read to babies, so it was small in size, but it still looked relatively large compared to Groot, who was barely a foot tall. “I suppose he brings out a maternal instinct in me, one that I thought would have never existed in the first place, but I still don’t see how my other behaviors make me everyone else’s mother,” she continued.

Groot seemed to sense that they were talking about him, his head shooting up immediately, turning to look towards the couch. “I am Groot?” he asked hopefully. Peter paused for a moment, trying to translate, before patting his lap, indicating that he could join them. Beaming, Groot hopped down from his spot and skipped cheerfully across the floor, climbing up Peter’s leg so he could lie on his stomach.

“It’s a dumb stereotype, I guess. But you have to admit, you kind of always sound like you’re five seconds away from giving everyone a time-out,” Peter chuckled, running a gentle finger along Groot’s spine.

“So you think I should take a more relaxed approach? I wouldn’t know how,” Gamora admitted, reaching to scratch under Groot’s chin. The little one let out a satisfied sigh, snuggling deeper into Peter, his eyes sliding closed in contentment. “It’s hard to be patient with such aggravating individuals. I’m hardly ever mad at Groot or Mantis, but everyone else…”

“Hey, I didn’t hear my name on that list of yours,” he teased, pinching her arm playfully.

“Don’t pretend like you’re a saint, Peter, our last fight was only two days ago,” she retorted, swatting at him.

“I still maintain that SHIELD agent was definitely hitting on you.”

“And I still maintain that I can fight my own battles just fine, thank you,” she said with a huff. Groot stirred a little, sleepily drifting over into Gamora’s lap, before settling back down. “You really shouldn’t be so hostile to everyone who looks at me strangely.”

“He wanted to do more than look, trust me,” he mumbled.

“Okay, we’re not getting into this again. I’m not in the mood to argue with Groot sleeping on me,” she groaned. “Speaking of, Halloween. Let’s talk about what we’re doing, otherwise, the others are probably going to start a riot.”

“Well, like I said, we should do something for the kid,” Peter replied, a fond smile slowly spreading across his face as he observed Groot, who was sucking on Gamora’s thumb as he slept. It was an odd habit of his that he didn’t do with anyone else, but like anything Groot did, it was heart-meltingly adorable to witness. “We haven’t been spending a lot of time with him lately, what with the crapload of midterms we’ve been having.”

“That is why I was suggesting we go along with Janet’s new Halloween plans,” Mantis said smugly, appearing in front of them seemingly out of nowhere. “If you had looked at what I was showing you…” Relenting, Gamora held out her hand with a reluctant sigh, allowing Mantis to finally pass her the phone. “As you can see, Janet has decided to forgo her big party with alcohol and dancing, for something a little more school-friendly, since there are many underage students as well. Did you go trick-or-treating as a child, Peter?”

“Yeah, with my mom,” Peter nodded. At Mantis’s inquiring eyebrow, he added, “Honestly, I didn’t really...have...friends.”

“That’s a shame,” Mantis frowned, sitting on Peter’s other side. “Well, you have plenty now. Even if we annoy you sometimes.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully, her antennae drooping slightly in shame. “I am sorry if we have upset you - both of you - earlier.”

“If anyone needs to apologize, it’s certainly not you,” Gamora said reassuringly, reaching across to pat the other girl’s hand. “I’m still trying to correct Nebula’s attitude, and Yondu and Rocket could use a talking-to as well. They’re all improving, if a little slower than I’d like to see.”

“Speaking of Nebula, you two have been spending a lot of time together recently,” Peter added, gesturing at Mantis. “How’s it going with that girl you have a crush on?” He had admittedly been a little surprised when Mantis confessed a little while ago that she had romantic feelings for someone - socialization and cultural understanding were still difficult for her at times - but ever since then, he’d been trying his best to leave her be, allowing her to figure things out alone instead of attempting to insert himself into what was clearly an emotional situation for her.

“Those are two completely unrelated questions,” Mantis squeaked. “Nebula keeps telling me to use my powers on that person, but I do not find it very ethical. I am also too afraid of discovering the truth. How did you two do it?”

Peter and Gamora exchanged dubious glances before looking back at Mantis. “I don’t think we’re exactly sure, either,” Gamora confessed. “After all, we had quite a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunication. But I suppose it’s all in a day’s work for Peter,” she added teasingly.

“Hey!” he protested, though the wrinkle between his brows eased away when Gamora pecked him quickly on the cheek.

"I’m kidding,” she promised, though there was still a wink of mirth in her eyes. There was a sudden sound of crashing from up above, followed by Yondu hollering loud enough to rattle the ship. Sighing, Gamora set Groot back into Peter’s lap, getting to her feet. “I better intervene before they break something. I’d rather not spend our money on pointless repairs, after all. Mantis, maybe you and Peter could start planning for Halloween together in the meantime?”

“Sure,” Mantis smiled, turning towards her brother as Gamora left the room. “So, what exactly is this ‘trick-or-treat’?”

“Well, it’s a phrase you say when you go to someone’s door, usually,” Peter explained, gently bouncing Groot in his arms. “It doesn’t really mean anything, though people used to expect either a trick - a prank, or a treat - candy. It’s usually just for kids, and they’ll dress up in costumes, go in groups door-to-door. It’s mostly an excuse for free sugar.”

“Interesting,” Mantis said, her face lighting up at the sound of sugar. “It says on the invite that Janet has volunteers setting up booths and secret hidden places for students to get candy from. A mix of both a scavenger hunt and a campus-wide haunted house.”

Peter nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement, almost jostling Groot awake in the process. “Okay, that sounds freaking amazing, and we’re definitely doing that. I’m not even mad that there’s no dancing this time.”

“You almost fell over last year because you were sooo drunk,” Mantis reminded him. “You puked on Carol’s shoes.”

“Yeah, well, she’s mad at me for about a million other things, anyways, what’s vomit gonna do?” Peter shrugged sheepishly.

Once dinner was served, the ship was blessedly quiet for about two minutes before Groot gave up on the baby spoon the others had purchased for him, and instead began sticking his fingers in his mash. Gamora was itching to chastise him as she often had to do, but hesitated this time out of worry that the others were going to make fun of her again. She instead prodded Peter on the arm, hoping he would understand. He shot her a curious glance before realizing what she wanted.

“Groot, buddy, we got you that spoon for a reason,” Peter said gently, reaching to nudge Groot’s arms out of his bowl. “If you make a mess, I’m not reading Brown Bear to you tonight.” Groot let out a squeal of panic before picking up his spoon and vigorously digging into his food, shoveling it into his mouth a little faster than he needed to. “And slow down before you choke.” Gamora shot Peter a grateful smile before turning back to her own plate.

“So, did you reach a consensus on our holiday plans?” she asked, looking across the table at Mantis.

“Janet will be transforming the entire campus into what she is calling ‘Wasp’s Wicked Wonderland’. It is a mix of a festival, a scavenger hunt, and a haunted house,” Mantis recited. “I think it sounds very exciting. We have been so busy with school and missions lately, it would be nice to have some fun as a group.”

“It could not possibly be any worse than last year’s disaster,” Drax said, nodding in agreeance. “Remember when Quill - ”

“Oh, my god, why is it always me? Did we just collectively forget that Rocket drunkenly challenged Stark to a weapon build-off, which, by the way, not a thing, and also not a thing to do when you’re drunk, and then went around asking people if he could take their cellphones apart?” Peter exclaimed.

“And then got yelled at by both Potts and Hill at the same time? I still have my video recording of that on my phone, it was quite glorious,” Nebula smirked, leaning back in her chair a little.

“Well, I definitely won,” Rocket said, a little more defensively than he meant to, folding his arms. “It was like Stark wasn’t even trying.”

“That’s because he wasn’t, he was too busy hitting on me,” Gamora retorted, wrinkling her nose a little at the memory. Tony hadn’t meant any harm - to his credit, he had backed off the second she told him to go away - but it was so odd to think about it now, how different he had been, how different she had been. “So, are we in agreement? Would anyone like to not participate?” Her eyes immediately went to her sister, though to her surprise, Nebula didn’t say anything. She instead opted to push her vegetables around her plate slowly, staring into them intensely, as if she were willing them to tell her the right answer. “Neb?”

“Well, my other choice is to sit around on the ship alone, my favorite pastime,” Nebula mused aloud, stabbing at her peas more viciously than necessary. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mantis pouting rather childishly in her direction. “But I suppose I can make an exception. Just this once. Otherwise, god knows you’ll bother me about it ‘til the end of my existence. Or yours.”

“That’s the spirit,” Peter said sarcastically. Gamora gave him a warning poke with the handle of her butter knife. “Yondu, how about you? You’ve been pretty quiet.”

“Sorry,” Yondu said immediately, and it was so unexpected that Peter didn’t even attempt to hide his stunned expression. “Kraglin was tellin’ me about how he’s strugglin’ out there, tryna get them other Ravager clans to help him build us up again, get some recruits. Ever since we lost a good chunk of his friends to the Black Order, it’s been...rough.”

“Has he considered - ” Gamora began, but Yondu cut her off, fierce.

“No,” he said adamantly. “He ain’t interested in being at this school. He’s damn good at what he does, especially now that he’s captain. He’s just been havin’ some difficulties, that’s all.” He glanced over to meet Peter’s sympathetic gaze. “And sure, Quill, I’ll be a part of this Halloween thing. But only ‘cause I’ll be pretty bored otherwise. And I’d like to get my mind off the whole Kraglin business.”

“Glad to hear someone else is as enthused as me,” Nebula said, setting her fork down. “Are we done with this discussion yet?”

“You got somewhere better to be?” Rocket countered.

“Away from you would be a good start,” Nebula sneered.

“Can we not do this tonight, guys?” Peter groaned, holding out his arms in precaution. Rocket tended to leap across the table to bite in the heat of his own anger. “I’m still not cool with how you were behaving earlier during the meeting, y’know.”

“Whatever you say, Dad,” Rocket snickered, grabbing his plate and heading into the kitchen. Nebula let out what sounded like an attempt to hold in her laughter - or maybe it was just a hiccup? - before she disappeared down the corridor, retreating to hide in her bedroom for the rest of the night as she always did.

Peter looked over at Gamora, perplexed. “Wow, okay, that does feel weirdly condescending.” She gave him a sympathetic shrug before standing to clear the table.

The weekend, for the most part, had the Guardians scattered across campus. As with all the students, the particularly grueling midterm season, paired with Halloween landing on a Tuesday, led to Director Fury making the generous decision to cancel classes for the entire week. He also suspected they had another alien invasion on the horizon, but that was another story.

Peter’s Saturday was spent at SHIELD with Rocket and Groot, evaluating the Chitauri weapons that even the highest-ranking SHIELD officials couldn’t figure out. Meanwhile, Gamora and Nebula managed to drag Drax and Mantis to the gym in hopes of doing a trial run for their future combat lessons. They had finally gone through all the mundane paperwork to get their fight clinic set up, and they decided it would be best to start fresh in January, at the start of the spring semester.

On Sunday, Peter found Yondu sulking in the Milano’s cockpit, where had also been hiding the previous day, and convinced him to join him on the loading bay so they could work on repairing the major issues that had come about as a result of their last mission. They had been working in companionable silence for about fifteen minutes before Peter couldn’t stay quiet any longer.

“If there’s anything I can do about Kraglin...or the Ravagers…” He trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

“They ain’t your responsibility, Quill, so don’t worry about it,” Yondu sighed. “I jus’ worry about them a little too much, that’s all.”

“It’s just...weird. I’ve never heard you apologize before,” Peter said half-jokingly. “I know I haven’t talked to Kraglin in a while, but he’s family, too. Tell him, if he needs anything from me, I’ll be there. Well, within reason. I’ve got my limits, y’know.”

“Don’t have to tell me,” Yondu snorted, poking at Peter with a wrench. “So...things are goin’ pretty good with your girl. Never seen you so smitten.”

“Aw, come on, are we really doin’ this right now?” Peter complained, yanking one of the damaged panels free. He let out a yelp when an electric spark flashed in front of his face. “You guys were the ones pushin’ so hard for us to be together so we’d stop being dumbasses and focus on other stuff, except now you won’t stop talking about it. Which one is it, Yondu?”

“Come on now, I already gave you all the speeches I got in me about love, boy. I jus’ thought it was interesting, seeing how diff’rent you are to how you were back before all this Guardians business,” Yondu commented, smirking. “You were quite the flirt when you were a young’n. Now, you’re a committed man. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. For what it’s worth, you’re a damn good pair.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Peter said, shooting Yondu a suspicious glance. He slid on his protective gloves and began poking around at the wires inside. He loved his ship inside and out, but sometimes, looking at her actual insides made him wonder how she managed to run at all. “Yeah, I guess I didn’t know what I was lookin’ for in a relationship so I never gave it an honest try. Then I met Gamora, and I realized it was a person and not a list of qualities, y’know? It was her I was looking for all along.”

“You two are sappy as hell,” Yondu chuckled with a shake of his head, passing Peter a pair of wire cutters. “And here, I thought, ‘Gamora, she’s a toughie, she don’t cry or laugh nearly as much as Quill. She ain’t the affectionate type’. But shit, I was wrong.”

“What type am I, then?” Both of them startled at the sound of Gamora’s voice, rotating slowly on their heels to see her standing right behind them, arms crossed. “Go on, Yondu, tell me.”

“I ain’t taking your bait, girl,” Yondu said, moving aside so she could join them. “But you keep Quill in check. God knows he needs it.”

“What is this, ‘pick-on-Peter’ week?” Peter bemoaned.

“More like your entire existence, I think,” Gamora teased, settling down and pulling the toolbox closer to her. “Anyways, the others have left for the day, and I figured you two could use the extra set of eyes and hands.”

“As long as you two don’t start slobberin’ on each other, I’m good,” Yondu shrugged. Peter and Gamora shot him scarily synchronized dirty looks before turning back to the task at hand.

A few hours later, Yondu left to grab them lunch, snarking about how he didn’t want to come back to any “funny business”, resulting in Peter flipping him the bird on the way out. “Hey, come on, none of that,” Gamora scolded, gripping his hands and pushing them back down into his lap, her fingers wrapping around his wrists. “The last thing we need to be doing when we have a week off school is antagonize each other.”

He hung his head, somewhat ashamed. “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re right. It’s just, it’s been a good six, seven weeks since we got together, and they still won’t stop teasing us about it. It’s really freaking annoying.”

“I’m sure they don’t mean it negatively, you know how they are,” she replied. “Besides, just do what I do. Threaten to kill them if they don’t stop.”

He laughed, moving to pull her a little closer to his side. “Yeah, well. That’s your default for everything.”

“It’s worked so far,” she retorted playfully. “Though maybe I should try that whole ‘relaxed compliancy’ approach. Be nicer or something.”

“Hey, that wasn’t what I meant,” he frowned, squeezing her hand. “You’re awesome just as you are, Gamora. You’re a good leader and a good friend. And you are nice. Maybe not always in the traditional sense of the word, but you’re not the same ‘stab first, talk later’ person you were when we first met. Don’t go changing just to make us happy. Do it ‘cause, y’know, you want to.”

“Always with the compliments,” she smiled. “Thank you, Peter.”

“You two makin’ eyes at each other, of course,” Yondu grumbled as he made his way back up the steps of the loading bay, armed with take-out containers and plastic cutlery. “Dunno why I was expectin’ anything else.”

On Monday, the day before Halloween, Peter came to the sudden and rather idiotic realization that they had, in fact, never gotten around to discussing their costumes. “It’s the most important part, how the hell did I forget?” he exclaimed in the middle of a group study session. The other Guardians, who were sprawled across the Milano’s living space, with varying levels of concentration, all startled at the sound of his voice. Groot nearly tumbled off the armrest of the couch. “Costumes, guys! Costumes!”

“Well, it’s kind of too late,” Gamora pointed out. “It’s almost seven, and we won’t be able to head into the city in time before the stores close.”

“Then we do what I do best,” Peter grinned. “We improvise.”

Which was how the Guardians found themselves dragging out the contents of their closets into the living room and dumping it all out onto the couch, partially because they didn’t really feel like studying (though honestly, when did they ever), but mostly because placating Peter was the better choice over upsetting him. He had gotten really good at sulking.

“When I was a kid, I always had this dream about having enough friends to do a group costume,” Peter told the others excitedly as they all poked around through his rather impressive array of red leather jackets. “Like Peanuts, or The Breakfast Club, or Star Wars.”

“You have strange fantasies, Quill,” Drax commented, patting him on the back consolingly. “But we will indulge you.”

“Thanks, man,” Peter said, grinning easily. “Oh - we could totally do Star Wars.”

“Only you and Gamora have seen those movies, dude, so you’re gonna have to fill us in,” Rocket snarked, tossing a T-shirt at Peter’s head.

“I’m obviously Han,” Peter continued, ignoring Rocket’s beady-eyed glare. “Gamora’s Leia. I guess Groot would be a pretty good Chewbacca if he was bigger, but that’s okay, buddy, you can still be Chewie whatever size you are.” Groot blinked at him in confusion but smiled a little vacantly regardless. “Wait! Nebula! You’re totally Luke! You have the robot hand and everything!”

“Do you ever hear yourself speak, or is it just the sound of wind whistling between your ears?” Nebula drawled.

“I imagine it to be more like carnival music,” Drax suggested.

“Or crickets,” Rocket crowed delightedly. “Oh, I am liking this game!”

“If we’re done picking on Peter, can we move on and continue planning our costumes, or do I have to put in a recommendation for sensitivity training again?” Gamora snapped, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder. “Alternatively, I could also drag you all to the gym for a 6 AM combat session tomorrow.” She paused, turning to Mantis. “Except you, of course.” She shot a glare at the rest of the group. “I wasn’t aware one had to be an empath to have some tact.”

The others fell silent, exchanging guilty looks across the room. “Sorry, Quill,” Drax mumbled.

Sullen, Peter turned away from them, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Listen, I know you guys are just making fun of me ‘cause it’s easy, but I’ve been leading this team for two years, and I’d like to think I’ve earned your respect by now.”

“And you have it, boy,” Yondu said fiercely. “You’re a damn fine leader. We’re just bein’ assholes, y’know.” The others nodded in agreement, but it seemed to be too late. Peter got to his feet, shrugging off Gamora as she tried to pull him back down.

“Think I’m done for the night,” he sighed. “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Happy freaking Halloween.” He turned and ambled off down the corridor, disappearing into his bedroom with a firm click of his door closing behind him.

“Great job, everyone.” Gamora stood as well, gathering both her and Peter’s clothes up in her arms. “Do you feel better about yourselves now? Was any of that necessary?”

She retreated to Peter’s bedroom (though really, it was their bedroom at this point), finding him to have already changed into his pajamas and crawled under the sheets like a small child, the Walkman sitting on the pillow, beside his head, the quiet strains of a REO Speedwagon song streaming through his headphones, which were currently situated around his neck.

Before Gamora could say anything, Peter spoke first in a near-whisper. “They’re just...the worst.”

“We really should properly punish them one of these days. Their condescending attitudes towards others, and us especially, is really getting on my nerves.” She set the clothes she was carrying aside, quickly changed into her own pajamas, and crawled in next to him. Threading her fingers through his hair, she smiled ruefully as he turned to bury his face in her neck. “Do you want to sleep now?”

“Nah, too early.” He rolled over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling restlessly. “Can you...can you just talk? Hey, tell me about what you did on Saturday, I never got around to asking you.”

“It wasn’t particularly interesting,” she said slowly. “Training...schoolwork...the usual.”

“I always like hearing about your day.” He removed the headphones, setting his Walkman aside, winding his fingers with hers between them on the pillow. “Did you beat Drax?”

“Of course I did. At least three times.” She grinned at the memory. “His surprised cry every single time he hits the mat is the soundtrack of my personal victory.”

He chuckled, ducking to kiss her shoulder. “That’s my girl.” They fell silent again, eyes locked, contemplating. “Listen, I don’t wanna deal with my crap tonight, I’m just...I’m tired. I wanna spend the rest of the night just hanging out with you. Okay?”

She nodded, sliding her hand underneath his jaw, her thumb tracing gentle circles along the stubble on his chin. “Alright. So, Mantis was telling me about this news article she found online while doing research for her paper on women in superheroism…”

The next morning, Gamora woke to find Peter wrapped rather tightly around her, unwilling to get out of bed and face their friends. The idea of celebrating Halloween together seemed to have crumbled apart, what with their increasing insensitivity as of late. “Why do you think that is?” Peter mused aloud. “Is it really just because of us being an...us?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Do we really want to delve into the depths of their minds? I’d rather not psychoanalyze anyone, especially before breakfast,” Gamora said, smirking slightly. “But we should make it clear that we won’t tolerate this any longer. There’s a difference between teasing and malice, and it’s time they learned their lesson.”

“I love it when you get vaguely threatening,” Peter said lowly, leaning in to kiss her.

“Oh, I’m not being vague about it at all,” she murmured against his mouth.

Before either of them could close the gap, however, there was a sharp knock on the door. “Breakfast is ready,” Mantis called, albeit a little timidly. “Could you please come out soon?”

A few minutes later, they emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed, only to find the others sitting neatly on the couch together, hands folded in their laps, except for Rocket and Groot, who were occupying the armchair with equally solemn posture. “Uh, are you guys staging an intervention or something? I’m weirded out,” Peter said, taking a cautious step back.

“We wanted to properly apologize to you,” Drax said gravely. “We have been quite unkind, more than usual as of late. My social blunders have become more and more apparent since we started living on Terra, but I did not realize they still had such a strong effect on you as well.”

“Yeah, we’re sorry about being huge dicks,” Rocket said, picking at his claws, eyes darting around nervously. Peter was getting the sense that Rocket had never really apologized before, never learned how. He might have never gotten attached to someone before the Guardians, someone that he would want to apologize to for hurting them. The guilt stirring in Rocket’s gut, the worry rattling around in his brain, was a foreign feeling to him. “I guess we just don’t know when to quit.”

“Like I said last night, Quill, we respect the hell outta you,” Yondu continued. “And you ain’t stupid, none of us really think that. You’ve got your quirks, but you’re smart. We wouldn’t let a dumbass be our leader, look up to him, believe in what he’s sayin’ and doin’.”

“Yeah, well, I just gotta know - why have you been even bigger jerks lately? Is it because of this?” Peter held up his and Gamora’s joined hands.

“We don’t see you as much.” He was surprised to see it was Rocket who had spoken, though he was still refusing to make eye contact. “We gotta get in all the jabs we can, keep the conversation goin’, even at your expense. Not like we get a lot of opportunities to talk anymore.”

“Then freaking say something about it instead of wasting your time belittling me,” Peter protested. “Be like, ‘hey, Peter, you wanna hang out?’. Not, ‘hey, Peter, you have a stupid face’!”

“It’s dumb of us, I know,” Yondu sighed. “But it worked when we was kids, too. You was always runnin’ around the ship, tryna talk to as many people as possible. You’d be there and gone in a flash. Best way to get you to stick around was to challenge you. But yeah, we pushed it too far this time. We’re sorry, boy.”

“I am too,” Nebula said quietly, never looking up from her lap. “You might be weird, but I suppose we...I...could be nicer.”

Sighing, Peter scratched at his temples. “Fine. Apology accepted. Just, tone it down, okay?”

“I think we have established that everyone here is terrible at talking to each other,” Mantis piped up, though not unkindly. “I feel...so much from all of you, all of the time, that I sometimes wish I could turn my brain off when I am here with you. But I do not want to say anything, since I know feelings are meant to be private. However, perhaps in the future, I should speak out of things get this bad ever again. Intervene, if you are all hurting each other in this way.”

“That would be great, Mantis,” Gamora nodded. “Are we all on the same page now?”

Peter turned into Gamora, gently clasping her wrist. “Hey, what about you?”

“What about me?” Now it was her turn to avoid his eyes.

“You deserve an apology too,” he said. It saddened him to see her thinking otherwise. “C’mon, Gamora.”

“Apologize for what?” Yondu called, though he looked apprehensive about asking at all. The two of them turned to the rest of the group, who looked afraid at the prospect of what they had done to Gamora. The last time she had gotten incredibly angry was when they returned from their trip to Missouri, and she had yelled at Yondu for attempting to steal the team’s hard-earned money until her voice had given out.

“The ‘mother’ comparisons are, admittedly, starting to get to me,” Gamora confessed, though she kept her head held high as she spoke. “I’ll accept the title in relation to Groot - his own referral to me as his mom makes sense, given the way I take care of him. But your attitudes towards my desire to keep this team running like a well-oiled machine are condescending and unhelpful, and I won’t stand for it any longer. Peter is the face of this team, and he may call our tactics and battle strategies, and he's vital to our success, but we all know that I make the majority of the so-called ‘boring’ decisions here - money and inventory, legalities, planning, organization. And I have no tolerance for your belittlement of my job, my role in your lives, or mothers themselves. So stop. Don’t make me demand your respect. I should already have it.”

Peter held back the urge to applaud - Gamora would probably backhand him on the spot for it - and instead elected to smile a little to himself in pride as the others balked in surprise. She shouted quite often, especially in battle - hollering about their stupidity or rash behavior, or some combination of the two, perhaps calling out warnings or orders, that sort of thing. But hearing her speak dangerously low, her voice dropping a full octave or so, was frankly when she was at her scariest, and he kind of loved witnessing it, providing it wasn’t directed at him.

Multiple apologies immediately began spilling from the others’ lips, their voices getting increasingly louder as they attempted to talk over each other, promising Gamora that they did, indeed, love and respect her. Even Nebula begrudgingly admitted that the team wouldn’t last a day without her sister’s meticulous, disciplined nature.

“ - we do respect you, Gam, we just - ”

“ - as I have said on multiple occasions, you are the fiercest warrior I have ever had the honor of knowing, and fighting alongside you is perhaps one of the greatest things I have gotten to do - ”

“ - you’re always yelling at us, except Quill, you just kind of flirt-fight with him now - ”

“ - c’mon, girl, you know you’re my favorite after Quill, even if you do get mad at me pretty much every single day - ”

“ - is it a foreplay thing? Wait, no, forget I asked - ”

“ - we would be lost with you, Gamora, and we appreciate everything you do for us, I promise - ”

“ - couldn’t think of a better person to be in charge, and take it from a guy who had to handle dozens o’ nasty Ravagers - ”

“ - I think I gotta drink some bourbon - hell, maybe motor oil - to get those images outta my head, geez - ”

“Okay, okay, I got it,” Gamora exclaimed, trying her hardest not to laugh at the sight of her teammates literally starting to climb over each other in desperation to gain her forgiveness.

“I think this calls for a group hug,” Mantis sing-songed, once the squabbling had finally died down. Nebula blanched a little at the suggestion.

Peter was the first to dive in, yanking everyone into his arms. It was a little difficult, attempting a group hug with people of varying heights (and varying levels of enthusiasm), what with Groot standing on Rocket’s head and accidentally squishing one of his ears in the process, and Nebula getting sandwiched between Drax and Yondu, much to her displeasure. They managed to hold the hug for a solid ten seconds before someone stood on someone else’s foot, and it delved into another chaotic mess of accusatory yelling.

“Well, it was nice while it lasted,” Peter sighed as he stepped back, watching as Mantis dove in between Nebula and Rocket before they could draw their weapons. “Hey, guys? Halloween? Are we still doing that, because we’ve got like...eight hours before it starts, and we have zero costumes.”

Gamora turned to examine the pile of clothes still strewn across the coffee table from the previous night, considering. “If it’s not too late, I think we can wrangle something together.”

“You are very lucky we are the same size,” Mantis said cheerily, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

“I regret agreeing to this.” Nebula slapped her hands away as she moved to smooth down her front. She was a little uneasy about Mantis touching her in any capacity, and not just because of her powers.

“Oh, don’t be a spoilsport, Neb.” Gamora was doing a poor job of concealing her giggles at the sight of her sister’s attire. “We’re all a little out of our comfort zone here, and it’s the best we can do on such short notice.”

“You’re wearing your boyfriend’s clothes, I wouldn’t call that a hardship,” Nebula growled in disdain, though she allowed Gamora and Mantis to push her towards the mirror. “This might be the worst thing you’ve ever made me do, and that’s saying something.”

“You girls ready?” Peter called through Gamora’s bedroom door. Grinning, Mantis grabbed Gamora and Nebula’s hands, practically yanking them out into the corridor in her eagerness to join the rest of their team. She immediately burst into hysterical laughter at the sight of the others.

Once the Guardians had realized they lacked clothes outside of their comfort zones - lots of leather, consisting of a mostly black and red color palette - the only ‘real’ costumes they could possibly accomplish was by doing a clothing swap. Peter looked the most normal among the guys, wearing his tightest black pleather pants, a tight white T-shirt with a black leather vest, and a shorter version of his red duster jacket, to emanate Gamora’s usual wardrobe. However, he was also sporting her utility belt and thigh holster, complete with the Godslayer by his side (“You don’t know how to wield my sword properly, Peter, so don’t you dare unsheath it from your belt.” “Was that a euphemism for something?”).

Drax and Yondu had exchanged clothes, resulting in Drax wearing Yondu’s leather waistcoat and his most dramatic floor-sweeping coat, which also boasted a rather enormously fluffy faux fur collar. Yondu had grumbled about not wanting to around shirtless - “now, the ladies may love the idea, but it’s damn cold out there and I ain’t looking to lose the hair off my chest!” “Ew, Yondu. Just, stop.” - so he was wearing one of the very few T-shirts Drax owned, along with baggy cargo pants, hefty steel-toed boots, and Drax’s dual knives.

Lastly, Groot and Rocket were the only ones left, being the most difficult to swap with in the first place. Instead, they elected to have Groot wear the uniform he had been gifted by the Ravager tailor during their last encounter with them, and then proceeded to sprout little white flowers and weave them into Rocket’s fur. “I am Groot,” he cheered when he was done, satisfied with his work.

“I do look pretty, don’t I?” The others had never seen Rocket preen so much before. It was a little unusual.

“My jacket looks so big on you, honey,” Peter murmured, his eyes glazing over a little in lust as he reached to settle his large hands on Gamora’s waist. She was also wearing his grey “Gear Shift” shirt, which fell to mid-thigh on her, over a pair of cargo pants. “Did you accessorize?” In lieu of answering, Gamora pressed the small button behind her ear to activate Peter’s collapsible helmet. He beamed as he watched it near-instantly assemble over her face, the large eyes washing him in red light as they glowed. “Damn. You look amazing.”

She deactivated it once more, patting him on the chest in thanks before turning to the others. “Are we ready to go?”

“I am Groot!” Groot shrieked excitedly, bouncing up and down on Rocket’s shoulders, much to the latter’s discomfort.

“Relax, kid, we ain’t even out the door yet.”

When they finally stepped out of the ship and left the landing bay ten minutes later (Drax had to go to the bathroom, Mantis had forgotten to give Nebula her gloves, and other mishaps that had become typical of any Guardians outing), the team couldn’t help but gasp in wonderment at their surroundings.

As always, Janet had outdone herself with decorating every last square inch of the campus, transforming it into the ‘wicked wonderland’ she had envisioned. Red string lights and spiderwebs dripped from the branches of every tree, casting an ominous crimson glow over everything beneath them. The pathways were lined with fake gravestones, each stenciled with a different student’s name and a darkly humorous cause of death (“Hey, there’s mine! ‘Accidentally danced right off the edge of a cliff’. Yeah, that sounds about right.”), along with the occasional pile of bones. There were statues and props of zombies, werewolves, vampires, witches, and other mythical creatures littered across the lawn, all smeared with fake blood. Police caution tape was draped over bushes, wound around doorknobs, and scattered across the ground in bits and pieces like confetti. With Tony’s help, Janet had also rigged windows and doors on many of the campus’s main buildings to suddenly open and slam shut, complete with flashing lights and shrieking sounds. Lastly, there was music playing through the speakers that hung from every lamppost, resulting in Peter bobbing his head enthusiastically to Monster Mash.

“This is so cool!” Mantis shrieked. “I have never seen anything like this before.”

“And the night has only just begun,” Peter said dramatically, holding out his arm for Mantis to take. Grinning, she looped her arm in his as he offered his other elbow to Gamora. She shook her head fondly before accepting it as well, and the three of them began leading the way.

Not even two full minutes had passed before Drax spoke once more, unusually shy. “Quill? Gamora? I have another few things I would like to tell you two, if you don’t mind.”

“What is it, Drax?” Gamora turned to look over her shoulder at him, then quickly regretted it. It was hard to take him seriously with Yondu’s ridiculous fluffy collar practically swallowing his entire neck.

“I realize that the majority of my social errors are a result of my tendency to be terribly blunt, thus making everyone feel as if I do not appreciate them or see them as equals. But I would like you to know that isn’t true,” he said earnestly. “You are both very good leaders, and good friends. I do not mean to undermine you in my honesty, but only to help you understand your flaws in order to better yourselves. But I see now that it is not a productive way of helping, and in fact, only furthers your anger. So, I shall endeavor to be less honest, and lie to make you feel better.”

“I don’t think that’s the exact takeaway you should be having here,” Peter said slowly. “But thanks, I guess.”

“Drax, Peter once told me that I should only change for myself, and not just to make other people happy,” Gamora said gently. “Perhaps that advice would suit you as well. And maybe, just...clarify your intentions the next time you tell Peter he’s pathetic.”

“Or, y’know, don’t call me pathetic,” Peter added. “That’d be cool with me, too.”

Drax brightened a little. “Thank you, Gamora. That does sound like the wiser path to follow.”

“Why’re we bein’ so sappy, we’re s’posed to be looking for candy,” Rocket complained. Groot, who was perched on his shoulder as always, nodded adamantly in agreement. “Though...I guess while we’re at it...I can’t imagine the team without you two, either. So I’ll try to tone down the dickishness. And for what it’s worth, I’m happy you guys are together. It was freaking miserable, watchin’ you two tryna pretend you weren’t crazy into each other. Took up a lot of our time.”

“The amount o’ times I had to kick your ass a little, get things goin’? That wasn’t so fun,” Yondu added. “We just...we miss ya both.”

“We’ll try our best to hang out with you guys more,” Peter promised. “Outside of missions and classes, that is.”

“This ‘trick-or-treating’ is a very good start,” Mantis said, squeezing Peter’s arm. “I do not think we have talked for this long without yelling at each other in a long time.”

“Nice change of pace,” Gamora agreed. She turned to look at her sister, who was skulking around at the back of their group, dragging her feet like a child being forced to see the dentist. “Don’t you think, Nebula?”

“Always so sentimental,” Nebula retorted, though there was a hint of a smile in her voice. “As I’ve said before, Quill really is rubbing off on you.”

“I would not like to picture Quill rubbing off against anyone or anything,” Drax said disgustedly.

“I am Groot?”

“For the last time, dude, I’m not explaining any of this until you’re older,” Rocket said, reaching to pat Groot on the knee.

They approached their first real destination soon after, the training center designed specifically for weaponry practice and obstacle courses. Like many of the other buildings across campus, it was drenched in red string lights, caution tape, and spider webs, with bloody handprints in the windows as they swung wildly open and shut.

“There has to be something in there,” Peter reasoned. “You guys ready?”

“Always,” Gamora said with a dangerous smirk.

Upon entering, they found it to be pitch black, only managing to navigate its darkened hallways by familiarity. Eventually, they reached the main shooting range, where all the weapons had been stowed and locked away as they always were. The training dummies, however, were mummified in toilet paper and covered in plastic spiders. “I am Groot,” Groot said, pointing.

“You’re right,” Rocket said, prodding one of the training dummies. “This one’s a little lumpier than I remembered. Someone gimme their pocket knife.” Groot let out a triumphant squeal as candy cascaded from the cut Rocket had made, spilling out onto the floor. “Good eye, Groot.”

The Guardians each took a generous handful, scooping it into their bags, before moving on to the obstacle course gyms. They were dimly lit, the sounds of their heavy boots echoing and bouncing off the equipment. “Split up into pairs?” Gamora suggested. “Go with your costume partner.”

Rocket and Groot immediately took off with an excited whoop, while Drax and Yondu shrugged at each other before disappearing. Mantis and Nebula, on the other hand, hesitated until Gamora shot Nebula another warning look. They slinked off sheepishly, vanishing into the darkness, before Peter and Gamora were finally ready to head out themselves.

The obstacle course wasn’t overly large - it was approximately the size of a regulation-sized basketball court - but with the walls of varying heights, ladders and ropes, and other apparatuses, it was something of a maze, especially when it was this dark. “I’m really glad we did this,” Peter whispered as he pulled a mini flashlight from Gamora’s utility belt. “This is super cool.”

“Can always count on Janet to go overboard,” Gamora whispered back, pointing at the greenish slime dripping all over the place. “I do hope for the janitors’ sakes that she paid them extra this week.”

They ran into other students on occasion - there was an awkward moment in which they came across Peter Parker attempting to do the upside-down kiss with Mary Jane, only to get his foot caught in the rope and beg her to stop laughing and help him get down - before finally finding a large potato sack full of candy underneath one of the climbing walls. Gamora used the comms on Peter’s helmet to privately call the other Guardians to join them.

“Oh, Twizzlers,” Mantis said happily. “This might be the best night of my life!”

The Guardians then moved on to the main gym, where skeletons had been set up at all the equipment - Drax had let out a laugh of delight at the sight of one particular skeleton at the rowing machine, posed halfway through a set (“The joke is that the skeleton has no muscles! He could not possibly row as much weight as I can!”). To their surprise, Nebula was the one who found the candy this time, hidden inside one of the empty lockers in an unassuming backpack. Peter and Gamora exchanged knowing looks as they watched her pass a packet of Nibs to Mantis almost immediately.

The science lab was dripping with some suspicious-looking plasma oozing from the ceiling, filling all of the beakers and test tubes that had been carefully placed on the lab benches. Somewhat disgusted, they all dug through the gooey substance with their bare hands, until Gamora managed to unearth a Ziploc bag from the emergency eyewash station. “And here, I thought Rand was getting more creative with where he was stashing his...recreational items.”

The lecture hall was where it got a little comical, watching dozens of students running up and down the stairs, half-crouching, half-crawling as they checked under the tables and bumping foreheads in the process. Nebula accidentally stepped on Jessica Jones’s foot, and both she and Jessica had to be physically hauled away by their respective sisters before it got nasty. “I wasn’t going to hurt her,” Nebula said a little too quickly.

“You know I never believe you when it comes to physical harm, right?” Gamora dug her fingers into Nebula’s arm. “You can’t lie to me, Nebula.”

The library was the most like a scavenger hunt of all the buildings the Guardians had visited so far - there was a book placed at the very front, open to a specific page, with certain words highlighted that spelled out the title of the next book they had to look for. They then had to locate that book, find another highlighted set of words inside, and so on. It was utter chaos, making the lecture halls look like a walk in the park, with students yelling to each other across the usually quiet library. Thor in particular was lecturing Loki for running around with a highlighter in an attempt to throw everyone off.

Eventually, Peter grew bored and stumbled off into his favorite section - the plush leather couches that he liked to nap on when the one on the Milano felt a little too rough for his liking - and threw himself down, only to be shocked by the sudden explosion of candy popping up from between the cushions. Gamora, who had been hunting him down, ran in after his startled shout, only to laugh at the sight of her boyfriend, buried beneath a mountain of Hubba Bubba. “Hey, honey. How do I look?”

“Majestic,” she replied, taking out her phone to snap a photo.

Three hours had passed before energy levels were beginning to dip, for some more than the others. As much as he didn’t like to admit it, Rocket was at a disadvantage, having the shortest legs, and was beginning to grow sore. He passed Groot to Gamora in an effort to make the walk easier for him. Groot immediately snuggled into her curls, cooing happily at being close to her.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked him, reaching up to gently tap his cheek with her pinky finger. “I hope you aren’t too tired yet.”

“I am Groot,” he replied, nodding enthusiastically. “I am Groot?”

“Same here, though I can’t say I’ll be eating most, if any, of this candy,” she said, holding up her bag for him to see. “I have to keep my body running as efficiently as possible, after all. This much sugar would destroy my cholesterol.”

“I am Groot?” he chirruped, confused.

Gamora blinked. “I...I did understand you just now, didn’t I?” She used her free hand to cup his entire body, bringing Groot around to face her. “Well, I suppose we’ve spent enough time together. It would make sense that it would happen eventually.”

Peter, who had been chatting with Mantis a few feet behind them, jogged up to join in. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“I’m finally starting to understand Groot, I think,” Gamora said, smiling up at him. “Not just in the obvious way, like when he points at things, but...actual conversation.”

“That’s awesome!” Peter exclaimed, reaching to nudge Groot under his chin. “I bet you’ll be really happy when all of us can understand you, huh, buddy? It must suck, not being able to really talk with everyone yet.”

Groot shrugged, unbothered. It was nothing new to him, being understood by a handful of people at a time. He had learned how to communicate just fine without words. “I am Groot,” he replied. He reached for Peter, yawning as he did, nuzzling into his shoulder, eyes slowly drifting closed.

“Looks like he’s almost ready for bed,” Peter said softly as he slung his other arm over Gamora’s shoulders. “It’s kinda too early to call it a night, though. We’ve still got a few hours to go. What should we do?”

“We could rest for a bit, let everyone rest their feet before we head out again,” Gamora suggested. “In fact...Nebula and I have a sort-of hiding spot that we haven’t told anyone else about...until now.”

“Then lead the way,” Peter grinned.

All through the night...I'll be awake and I'll be with you…

“So,” Peter panted ten minutes later as he climbed the last set of stairs, a white-knuckled grip on the railing. “This is how you get to the top of Avengers Hall.”

“Technically, we most definitely aren’t supposed to be up here,” Gamora shrugged rather impishly. “But the Director’s seen us here before, and he doesn’t seem to care.”

“Gotta admit, this is a pretty nice view.” Yondu stepped out towards the edge, hands on his hips, as he gazed out over the campus. Despite the growing chill of the autumn evening, it looked incredibly warm, what with everything being bathed in an almost violently crimson light. “You never seen any other students up here?”

“The occasional classmate or two - Bobbi, Natasha, Elektra, the sort. But otherwise, no one as frequent as Nebula and I,” Gamora replied. She was the first to sit, slinging her elbows up over the middle railing as she had become so accustomed to doing.

Nebula slid in neatly on her right side, the leathers of Mantis’s outfits squeaking a little as she did. Peter settled on Gamora’s left, cradling a snoring baby Groot, still slightly out of breath from the incline of the stairway. “Don’t you get any exercise, what with my sister bossing you around?” Nebula said, the corner of her mouth quirking.

“Still used to jet boots and aero-rigs getting me around, thank you very much,” Peter pouted. Mantis and Drax sat on Peter’s left, while Yondu and Rocket were on Nebula’s right, squishing in close despite there being plenty of room. Nebula shot Yondu a dirty look, but couldn’t be bothered to threaten him any further. “So, better than last year’s Halloween?”

“Ask us when the night’s over, man,” Rocket snorted. “I’ll answer ya when I count up my candy stash.”

“Fair enough,” Peter nodded, smiling when Mantis moved to rest her head on his shoulder affectionately, careful not to jostle Groot. “How about you, Mantis? Enjoying yourself?”

“Very much so,” she said dreamily. Her antennae lit up, slowly arching forward as her eyes slid closed, deep in thought. “Wow. I think this is the happiest everyone has felt simultaneously in perhaps...ever.”

All through the night...this precious time when time is new...

“Really? That’s weird,” Rocket said, wrinkling his nose in confusion. “Woulda thought some of you’d be happier doing somethin’ else. Nebula, for example, being literally anywhere but here.”

“The rodent speaks the truth,” Nebula hummed.

Mantis shook her head, still grinning. “Do you not trust that I know what I’m talking about? We are all very happy.”

“What if you were to rank us from least happy to happiest, relative to each other?” Drax asked.

“Dude, does it matter?” Peter chuckled.

“It was just a question,” Drax said defensively. “I was curious about how specific Mantis could be.”

“I suppose it’s not the worst inquiry Drax has ever had,” Gamora whispered to Peter, causing him to giggle childishly into his hand. At the sound of Peter’s laughter, Groot stirred slowly, lifting his head up drowsily to look out at his surroundings.

“I am Groot?” he asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position on Peter’s shoulder.

“We’re on the roof of Avengers Hall,” Gamora answered. “Everyone’s getting a little tired, so we’re taking a break before heading out again.”

“Since when do you understand him so perfectly?” Rocket exclaimed, his ears flattening in suspicion.

“Since about fifteen minutes ago,” Gamora shot back. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Guys, can we kill the animosity for like, ten minutes? Mantis just said we were doing pretty good,” Peter groaned, as Groot hopped from his shoulder to Gamora’s.

“I guess it’ll be good for the kid to finally have someone else to talk to for once,” Rocket admitted begrudgingly.

“I am Groot,” Groot said feebly, patting Gamora gingerly on the neck.

“You’ve been bothering us about this all weekend, and you want to go back already?” she asked, giving him a teasingly stern expression in response. “Someone didn’t take their afternoon nap after all.”

“We are not finished yet,” Mantis said, her lip wobbling. “Do we really have to go home now?”

“Gamora and I can take Groot back, tuck ‘im in. We’ll catch up with you guys later,” Peter offered.

“Oh, great, we know where this is going,” Rocket snickered, holding up a paw for a high five from Yondu.

“Dude, not what I meant. See you guys in half an hour, okay?” With that, he and Gamora stood, Groot in tow on Gamora’s shoulder, lazily twisted into the loose curls of her hair, yawning profusely. When Peter glanced over his shoulder to wave at the group, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Mantis and Nebula looking awkwardly at the sudden gap between them, shuffling closer, attempting to appear reluctant at having to do so.

Oh, all through the night today...knowing that we feel the same without saying...

“What is it?” Gamora asked once they were in the stairway. At Peter’s innocent “I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about” expression, her eyes narrowed in frustration. “Come on, Peter, you can’t lie to me. You’re making a face.”

“I can’t be the only one super suspicious about our sisters hanging out together, right?” Once they reached the bottom of the stairway and walked out into the crisp evening air, Peter reached out to take Gamora’s hand. “I mean, think about it.”

“Mantis has told us both several times it’s not Nebula she has feelings for,” Gamora reminded him. “Would she lie to us?”

“You say that like it’s impossible,” he laughed. “But oh, man, could you imagine?”

“Considering Nebula has zero experience in romantic feelings - and I’m quite confident in saying that - this could only end poorly for Mantis,” she frowned, suddenly saddened on the other girl’s behalf. It was easy to think Mantis had control of her emotions, being an empath, but in reality, she had a difficult time understanding and processing her own feelings. If what Peter was saying was true, it was no wonder she was scared to delve into Nebula’s mind and see if there was any hint of reciprocity - she probably knew it was a lost cause, and didn’t want to disappoint herself. “It would make sense, though, considering how secretive she’s become lately.”

“I am Groot,” Groot mumbled into her shoulder.

“Mantis tells you things?” Gamora’s frown deepened. “We really should have a discussion about upending all our secrets onto you, Groot. This can only become a problem later on when we all know what you’re saying.”

“We should help them out,” Peter offered. “Mantis, at least. They’ve been complaining about us spending so much time without them lately, we should really do something nice. Start with our sisters.”

“I suppose,” she said, inhaling deeply. “If Nebula commits to being less confrontational, that is. She’s like a feral cat or a spooked kitten, with no in between. I doubt she’s emotionally ready for that sort of thing herself.” Looking away from Peter’s soft gaze, she murmured, “I didn’t think I would be, either.”

“Well, I’m not gonna pretend to understand Nebula the way you do,” he said thoughtfully. “But I think you’ve both come a long way already. Who knows, maybe she wants to give it a try, too. This could all totally be just speculation, though. Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

“That would be a first,” Gamora teased, standing a little on her toes to kiss him. She paused midway, her brow furrowing in sudden worry. “Wait - ”

“It’s okay,” Peter said, squeezing her hand. “You can make fun of me all you want, if that’s what you were thinkin’ about. I know you don’t mean it, either.”

“Still,” she said reluctantly, pecking him quickly on the corner of his mouth. “If our relationship isn’t built on trust and respect, then what is it worth?”

“Agreed, which is why I’m glad we’ve got that covered already,” he smiled, chasing after her lips for a proper kiss. “We’ve always got each other’s backs, a little banter ain’t gonna hurt. Come on, let’s get Groot to bed before he tells some exaggerated story to the others about how we made out in front of him.”

When they reached the Milano, Peter moved to open the door of the bedroom Rocket and Groot shared, only to hear the little one whining like a puppy, flailing his arms around on Gamora’s shoulder. “You can’t just change your mind like that, Groot,” she scolded.

“I am Groot,” he protested, pointing instead at Peter’s door. “I am Groot?”

“He wants to sleep in your room,” Gamora said, astonished. “Why - ”

“Our room,” Peter corrected, sighing. “Well, we could let him for just this one night. If we put this off any longer, the others are gonna wonder where we are.”

“I am Groot?”

“No stories, you said you were tired, remember?” Gamora poked his cheek as Peter moved to open the door and let them inside. Groot almost immediately leaped from Gamora’s shoulder onto the pillow with an excitable squeal, burrowing himself a little deeper, his large dark eyes gazing up at them both imploringly.

“What does he want now?” Peter lifted up one of the corners of the duvet and slowly lowered it down over Groot’s body.

“I am Groot,” he pleaded, using his little fingers to quite literally wrap themselves around Peter’s thumb.

“He wants us to stay until he falls asleep.” Gamora began unlacing her boots. “Well, the alternative is we leave now and he throws a fit, and I’d rather not spoil my good mood. You joining me?”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Peter told Groot with a chuckle, shucking his jacket and his shoes. The two of them crawled in on top of the covers, careful not to dwarf him, their noses nearly brushing his cheeks. Very slowly, Groot’s eyes fluttered closed as he yawned, mumbling nonsensical sounds under his breath. “Man, he’s adorable.”

“Arguably cuter than the Terran babies I’ve seen,” Gamora whispered, smiling. “Easier to bathe, too. Less surface area.”

Peter tried his best not to snort, though he was failing miserably. “We’re doing an okay job, right? Taking care of him?”

“I wouldn’t know what good parenting looks like,” she admitted. “But I’d like to think he would’ve complained by now.”

“I...am...Groot,” Groot mumbled sleepily, rolling over to bury himself into the soft down of the pillow. Gamora let out an oddly choked sound. Alarmed, Peter reached to touch her arm.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Groot said he loves us,” she breathed. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears, fingers trembling as she slowly ran her thumb over Groot’s cheek.

Smiling, Peter leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on Groot’s forehead. “We love you too, buddy. And we’re here for you, always.”

“ - I told you this was gonna happen - ”

“ - I thought they were just gonna get up to some nookie-nookie - ”

“ - well, be glad they didn’t, now that we know Groot’s in here - ”

“ - please, we should leave them alone, we are all very tired anyways and we should go to bed - ”

“ - stop using your powers on us, girl, we don’t need you analytical-ing us - ”

“ - that is not a word, Yondu, and I meant the fact we have all been yawning the whole way back to the ship - ”

“ - will you all shut up already before they wake up and eviscerate us? Why are we standing around like a bunch of morons? - ”

“ - at least take me one photograph for posterity’s sake, I imagine this will be pleasing for them to look at - ”

“ - just do it quickly, and don’t take a million years to take one photo like you always do, Drax, it’s the worst - ”

“ - I’ll have you know my photography skills are quite adequate, thank you - ”

“Do you think they know we’ve been awake for the past two minutes?” Peter mumbled.

“Two more minutes, and I might have to revisit the idea of that 6 AM training session after all,” Gamora sighed, though she couldn’t help but smile a little to herself. This was more like it. These were the people she knew and tolerated. Okay, loved. The people she loved.