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The training hall was silent. After all, it was 2 in the morning, and not only were the other residents of Stark’s bunker tired of fighting, but also quite tired of having to live with each other.
Not everyone’s two favorite insomniacs, however.
The twang of Hawkeye’s bow as it fired was the only thing to break the silence, along with the frustrated grunt that always followed. Peter Quill sighed as he watched his shot land...on the floor directly in front of him.
“Just keep at it, Bud.” Clint called out from the safe-from-Peter zone, which was all the way across the room. Peter threw a mean glance his way, but it didn’t matter, because Barton hadn’t looked up from his phone or stopped...What the fuck? Is this dude really eating plain pretzels right now? Who is this guy?
And why does he make cool arrow stuff look so easy?
Twang. Clank. Sigh.
Barton was walking towards him now.
“That won’t help dude, you already showed me how, so-”
Without saying a word, Clint slips behind him and lays his arms over Peter’s own. Also without saying a word, Peter reflexively turns on his heels and fires the bow. For the first time all night, the arrow hits its target. Clint’s arm.
They both scream; Clint in agony and shock, Peter because Clint is doing it too and just really escalating this whole thing.
“WHAT THE FUCK, OH MY GOD? OHMYGOD WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?”
“DUDE I JUST WANTED TO DO THAT THING IN THE MOVIES WHERE THE GUY LIKE, I DON’T KNOW, JUST LEADS THEIR DATE FROM BEHIND HOLY SHIT MY MAN”
“WE’RE NOT DATING? ALSO WHY WOULD YOU SNEAK UP ON A MAN WITH A WEAPON?”
“TRYING TO BE SMOOTH PLEASE STOP YELLING I HAVE AN ARROW LODGED IN MY ARM”
The screaming draws half of the bunker into the hall. Doctor Strange and Loki rush out first, weapons drawn. It doesn’t take them long to read the situation. Loki immediately turns and walks back to the living quarters. Doctor Strange, being a Doctor, heads for Clint first.
“Come on, Quill, help me carry him back to the infirmary. Grab his feet.”
“I...don’t think he wants me to touch him right now.” Clint probably was almost unconscious but it was pretty clear that Peter was the one who didn’t want to do any touching.
The Doctor rolls his eyes and casts a levitating spell on Clint, hauling him back the the infirmary alone.
Peter drops the bow and backs away slowly. He changed his mind about that thing. Never again. He shudders as he heads to the infirmary to make sure Clint lives through this.
…
It was pretty cool though…
“Do the thing again. Please?
“Quill, it’s not a party trick. Stop asking”
“I’m not asking for a party trick. I’m asking for the thing again.”
The sun was setting. Both men were on the last stretch of watch duty. Peter was glad to be outside on his home planet, but this was a particularly boring part of his home planet. There were tall Redwoods in every direction, and barely any squirrels at all. Plus, he’s stuck with a total bore. If he could do those things with his hands like that Doctor could, you’d have to chop his hands off because he would be doing that thing again all day long.
Peter gives him a slight nudge.
“Don’t do that.”
Stephen’s own cape seemed to nudge him as well.
“You too? Really?” He says to no one.
Sighing, the doctor holds up both trembling hands, and forms a glowing orange heart. With a flick of his wrist, he expands it into a three-dimensional heart that rotates slowly five feet off the ground.
Peter stares wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the doctor’s creation, like a kid seeing a glow-stick for the first time.
“If the enemy finds us because of that, it’s on you, Quill.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He responds, reaching out to put his hand in the center of the heart.
“Also, you’re too young for me, so. What are you, 25?” Stephen mumbled, almost just to himself.
“What?”
“SHIFT’S UP” Natasha yelled, almost on que.
That dude Thor is not in his room.
Peter is. In Thor’s room.
In Peter’s defense, Thor told him to grab something from there. Peter can’t remember what he was supposed to grab because he found something much cooler, probably. Whatever he was supposed to grab might have been cooler, but then again, what could be cooler than this?
A cool-ass hammer. A cool-ass hammer that reflected the lights from overhead in a way that made it seem as though lightning were bursting from its center. Logic flies out the window once Peter is faced with probably the coolest hammer he has ever seen.
He reaches for it. Upon lifting it, he feels like someone just injected his veins with an entire 5-hour-energy.
“Quill…” A baritone British voice speaks out from behind him. “That’s not what I told you to grab.”
Oh man.
“No, no, no look dude, I wasn’t gonna steal it or hit with it or whatever I just-” Peter stutters while backing away ever so slightly from Thor. He drops the hammer, which leaves a noticeable dent in the floor as it lands. “I. Look, I dropped the hammer, I don’t mean any harm so I’ll just leave now anyways.”
Peter tries to slowly creep out with his hands in the air. Thor closes the door before he can leave.
Oh man.
Thor grabs his hammer and presses Peter against the wall with it.
“Who are you? Explain yourself. And…” Thor glaces down at the hammer. “And how you were able to lift this.”
“My name’s Peter Quill, my dad’s a jerk and I killed him, my other dad died, I’m a Guardian of the Galaxy, and I don’t know, I just lifted it.” He chokes out. This is why you never agree to go grab stuff, Peter.
“Who are you son of?” Thor will not lay off with the hammer and the pushing.
“Ever hear of an asshole named Ego?”
Thor removes the hammer. Finally. “You are son of Ego?”
Peter shrugs.
“Peter Egoson-”
“Quill.”
“-you show great power. Not many can lift this hammer. Actually, not anyone really. But hear this.” Thor holds the hammer near his face. “You touch this again and I will show you what true power it possesses.”
“Got it. No touch. Can I go now?”
“Yeah. Also, I work hard to not get fingerprints on it, so. You get it.”
Peter is quick walking back to his own quarters. “I sure do, buddy.”
Peter’s not sure he understood even half of what just occurred, except that he’s allowed to leave now.
This has been a weird week. Peter thinks he'll just stick to being a Guardian of the Galaxy.
For now.