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Gamora never wakes up before the artificial daylight beams through the quadrant, but today happened to differ. Her eyes slowly fluttered open before anyone in the ship was up, the only noise being the hum of their home's gears turning. Normally, she'd go to the the training bay to work up a sweat before heading to the showers. By then, Drax would have already served breakfast, but it was still too early- even for Drax.
Growing up with a group of murderous children angered from being abducted, Gamora learned how to silently travel throughout a sleeping quarter. She passed Rocket's supply closet -which worked as his own work area/bedroom- without making a sound. She didn't worry about waking Drax as she passed his room, his door slightly ajar. The man slept deeply, only awaken by the sounds of war and the smell of blood apparently. Mantis was a little harder to step around, only because she was so sensitive to light, but Gamora managed to slip by. Kraglin usually slept in the captain's quarters so she didn't have to worry about passing him at all.
The only real obstacle, she acknowledged, was getting past Quill. After the passing of his adoptive father and his real father, Peter had refused to sleep in the captain's quarters as the rest of the team had suggested. Instead, he slept in a small fold out bunk in a corner off to the side of his chair.
He had said he preferred to be closer to the controls so he didn't have to worry about fighting Rocket over who got to fly. In reality, he wanted to be ready in case anyone else threatened his "family" again, but only Gamora seemed to pick up on that.
Cautiously, she rounded the corner, her socked feet only slightly slipping against the smooth surface of the cockpit. She kept her eyes aimed for Quill's corner, preparing to hide just in case he was facing her in his sleep. Her hand braced against the wall and she leaned a bit in order to peek out over to his bunk. Like Mantis, he was a light sleeper.
Her brows knitted when she only found a small figure curled up on a mess of blankets on the small fold out. She snuck closer, eyeing the young Groot, his vines had grown out and bedded himself against the sheets. There was no way that he had done it within a few hours, which meant that he had been there all night. Gamora was about to turn when she heard the tell tale sound of footsteps approach from behind; She held her breath tracking the sound and when she felt it was close enough her fingers quickly flew to her holster. Before the figure behind her could back up, Gamora had her dagger pressed against their throat, her other hand braced in a blocking stance.
Startled Jade eyes blinked back at her, she took a moment to notice they were rimmed red before slightly lowering her weapon. Her gaze stalked from his face to his hands held up in the air in quiet defense. By now, she knew it was their captain, but kept her stance together.
"What have I told you about-"
"Sneaking up on you? Not to do it." His voice was missing something, it was gravely with sleep or maybe lack there of- but there was no flirtatious ring to it. She focused on his eyes again, taking note on how empty they seemed.
"Have you slept?" She quirked a brow, her eyes continuing to search his face.
He eyed the weapon wearily before responding, "No...please don't stab me."
She blinked, "What? Why would I stab you?" She stared at him a moment before remembering her stance and correcting it, easily sliding her knife back into place. "You didn't sleep?"
"Uh.." A hand reached behind his head, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes searched around a bit before landing on Groot, "I got caught up in..something."
"Something?" She watched him fidget a moment more before stepping closer. Peter stepped back but only by a fraction, his tired eyes swirling with that same look that always appeared whenever she got close. She couldn't tell if it was fear or anguish or longing. They all held that deep, lost look for him. He was much harder to read in the dark as well, his movement more slow and his face hidden by shadows. Although she rarely did so, Gamora felt like reaching out.
The 'unspoken thing' had stayed unspoken but touch had not been foreign between them. He has held her before, she has caressed his face, and if a kiss has been shared once in private then that was something to remain unspoken as well. Now, everyone was asleep and they were alone sans the sleeping child behind them.
Deciding that he probably preferred her to move first, Gamora tentatively reached up, letting her fingers graze his cheek. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed, felt as he leaned into her touch. He always acted so taken whenever she touched him, but he never grew quiet. She cupped his chin with her other hand and he cautiously drew her into a loose embrace. His arms came around her waist carefully, as if he was afraid of startling her.
"Peter," Her voice came out much quieter than she had meant but was shocked to feel him tremble under her hands. Her breath caught a little when a silent tear tracked down his cheek, stopping at the tip of her finger. She brushed her thumb against his face and watched as his lashes wetted again, only to hold back more tears.
She didn't understand this, how he could be so quiet sometimes. Peter wasn't a stranger to feeling, he almost always wore his heart on his sleeve. When grieving over his mother he'd play his music extremely loud and lock his door. When he was happy he would dance around in his underwear, grabbing Mantis in order to spin her around. When he was angry he'd cross the galaxy for a drink, and if that wasn't available he'd work on fixing something in the ship. But when he was quiet, Gamora couldn't tell what the true emotion was. Sometimes it seemed as if it was a whole bunch of feelings compiled into one. A strong emotion that she couldn't even begin to understand.
Her fingers moved from his face to the nape of his neck, combing the curls down that were probably getting way too long. He shuddered a bit under her touch and she brought her other arm around him and pulled him into a hug, much to his surprise. He was tense under her hold, still holding back, and if there's one thing she had learned about Terrans- they only get more upset from hiding away feelings. Although words were never her strong suit, she figured staying quiet wouldn't help.
"Peter," She tried again, this time her voice came out much less like a whisper, "Let's go lay down." He didn't wait before shaking his head, burying his face into her hair as he did whenever he didn't want to look at her. Usually he did it out of embarrassment, being so easily affected by just her touch- but today it wasn't so. Gamora held him tighter for a moment, feeling his body beginning to give out, his shoulders not as taunt as before. "Yes," She spoke calmly, "Let's go lay down."
This time he just tightened his hold, pulling her flush against him, almost desperately. It hurt to see him this way, hurt to feel his heart racing in his chest, hurt to hear him stifling a sob into her hair. So, she pulled away. Being stronger than him, she was able to separate them although her heart clenched as he let out a small broken sound when she did.
She stayed close, forehead fairly close to his before sighing and reaching down for his hand. He grasped onto it tightly at first, then loosened his grasp although he didn't really need to. His eyes were watery and sad and it took all of her strength not to indulge in another embrace. Instead she began to turn, tugging on his hand as she headed for her room. She felt some resistance but refused to let go and eventually he followed.
Quill was surprisingly light on his feet which made it a whole lot easier to go unnoticed as she brought him over to her room. She hesitated a moment before entering, having only had him in here a handful of times. She was always very private about her room, keeping mostly everyone out at all times. But Peter had become an exception. He was the only one who had been allowed inside once they chose their new rooms on the quadrant.
She pushed down the slightly conscious worry and put in her code, allowing Peter to see if he wished. When she looked back though, she found his eyes steadily on her. She still couldn't read them, but she had a feeling that she wasn't the only one putting a lot of trust into the other. In this moment, he seemed vulnerable, which he never allowed others to see. Gamora would not take that for granted and pushed forward, pulling him into the room and slowly closing the door.
Leading him towards the bed, she expected him to make a joke or some kind of sexual innuendo but internally scolded herself for that. He wasn't himself, of course he wouldn't say anything. He's more than that, which she knew, which is why she loved him. Gamora chanced a look at him and found his eyes locked onto hers, but he stayed silent and that hurt more than she expected.
She let go of his hand reluctantly and he only frowned slightly at the loss of contact. Gamora sat down onto her bed, looking up at him expectantly but he stayed still. She sighed, only feeling slightly frustrated before taking a moment to collect herself. She's never been good with emotions, but for Peter she'd try.
From the bed, she reached out for his hand and eventually he got the hint, moving close enough to grab it gently. She studied his slow movement, the way his eyes trailed down to their connected hands before meeting hers again. Then, she pulled him down next to her. He gave out a surprised huff, her strength being lost on him for a bit. He was probably going to say something, or at least he wanted to, she observed. Normally, he'd quirk a smile or at least let out a self deprecating laugh- but he stayed true to the silence.
"Um," Gamora pulled their hands into her lap, brushing her thumb over his, "I want you to..uh..sleep." She fumbled over her words and cursed herself for not being as good at this as Peter proved to be, "I mean you need to sleep...please." She carefully looked up, meeting his eyes and was relieved to see the smallest amount of humor in them. Good, at least he was showing her something. She nodded to herself, then started to lay back onto the bed slowly, still not sure how she intended to force Quill to sleep with her- well to actually sleep.
She didn't have to worry though, after a moment of awkward hand holding, he joined her. Gamora breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned onto her side to face him, their noses brushing only slightly. Her job wasn't done, she needed to make him cry. Well not on purpose, but if he didn't cry now he'd be numb later. And if she hated anything more than quiet Peter, it was numb Peter.
"Qu-" She cut herself off, thinking for a moment before taking a different approach, "Um...Star-Lord-" Gamora stopped again, this time startled by the quiet huff of laughter emitted by the man in front of her. His eyes were still sullen but more light filled them and something in her chest fluttered. She tried again, this time a small bashful smile on her face, "I'm sorry that was...I don't know why I did that." This time his lips quirked a bit and she allowed herself to blush, something only Peter got to see.
He shifted a bit on the bed, lifting his free arm and draping it over the curve of her hip. Gamora bit her lip despite herself- she'd never admit it but she loved being this close to the Terran. Her dark eyes traced the features of his face: the soft shape of his jade eyes, the fading scar at his temple, the tender curve of his lips, the light scruff on his chin. She liked his facial hair too, something she didn't expect at all, but she'd never tell him that.
She leaned in, letting her nose bump his lightly, "You worry me." He adjusted his grip on her hand, "You worry all of us."
"But especially you, right?" Gamora met his eyes again, a playful spark in them that she hadn't seen in awhile. She didn't give in though, he was downplaying the situation. She couldn't fall for the pull of his lips or the pink color rising in his cheeks, at least not this time.
"I'm serious Peter," She closed her eyes, her heart picking up a gentle speed, "You can't keep doing this, you have to talk to us." Gamora forced herself to look back at him, his face had fallen into the sad one she was originally greeted with. She hated making him look like that, she hated the sadness in his eyes, hated the frown pulling at his soft lips. "At least talk to me."
Peter groaned, turning his head into a pillow, "No."
"Peter."
"Mora." He challenged, peeking an eye at her. She bit back a smile that was threatening to take over her face. Instead, she lifted her right hand and gently carded through the hair at the back of his head.
She waited until he had shoved his face back into the pillow before speaking, her words thought through carefully. Gamora didn't want to hurt Peter, didn't want to force him into anything either, but she needed him to be open. She understood it was a vulnerability though, so she had to open up herself- which was a struggle all on its own.
Her hand stalled its movements while she collected her thoughts, willing herself to open up to him. He lifted his head a bit, unmistakable traces of tears down his cheeks but she didn't comment on them. Instead, she cupped his chin again.
"I thought I had lost you." It's something she has yet to say to him. A confession that broke her heart even as she held him close. Back on Ego, she knew something wasn't right. She came to him at the wrong time and because of that she almost lost him. She still can't shake the feeling. It had been her fault that Peter trusted Ego in the first place, it had been her fault that he had to fight his own father, it had been her fault that...Yandu was now dead because of her. "I'm so sorry." She couldn't tell at first but the look of concern that came over Peter made it clear that she was crying.
Crying was weird, it was never something she found to be helpful. Peter once said something about "needing a good cry" after a mission, and stalked off to his room. About an hour later he was out and dancing around like normal, the sadness had seemed to pour out in his tears. That had never been the case for her, however. Crying made her feel weak and alone. She couldn't comfort herself so instead her body tried to release the emotion with liquid from her eyes. Although she didn't hate it, she was never allowed to show such weakness in front of others, and it scared her
Peter pulled her closer, his brows knitting together as if she's the one to be worried about. She wanted to push him away, wipe her face and forget this ever happened. She wanted to laugh it off and pretend it was a joke. She wanted to kiss him, distract him from everything that he was seeing. But she knew she couldn't, that's not what this was about. She had to stay open, for him.
Gamora pressed on, an ache in her chest, "I hate that he crushed your Walkman." For some reason, Quill smiled at that. His own eyes were welling up with tears and yet he smiled. She removed her hand to rub at her face but he quickly moved and grabbed her wrist. She pouted, something she never did, which only seemed to make the man smile wider.
"Don't mock me," She mumbled, her face now wet from tears. It was so out of character for her, it made her want to kick him away so she could go kill something. A tiny part of her wanted to curl into him and never let go but she wasn't about to do that.
"Mock?" His voice was quiet, rough with what she could only assume were tears. "That's no...Mora I would never mock you for crying." Peter brought her hand to his lips, leaving a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Never."
She tried to avoid his gaze, opting to focus on the curl of his light brown hair, "You're smiling." She pointed out, her cheeks burning despite her silent order for them not to.
"Well, that's because I love you," She stiffened a bit but he kept going, "And because you're the only person I know who would blame themselves for my stupid."
"You are not stupid." She said more softly, still refusing to meet his eye.
Quill nodded to himself, "I know." He let go of her hand and instead brought her arm around him to rest at the back of his head again. "And you have nothing to be sorry for."
This time she looked at him, his eyes were glossy and silent tears had streaked down his face, but he didn't look sad. He didn't look better either. She didn't understand emotions, but she knew there was something there in the way that he was looking at her.
"Why didn't you sleep?" Their hands were still intertwined, lying between them on the bunk. She lifted them carefully to her and repeated Peter's action from before, brushing her lips against the back of his hand and causing his eyes to flutter close again. A melancholy smile pulled at his lips and his arm came to rest against her hip again.
"I miss him," He spoke softly, eyes still closed, "I miss him and half the time I thought he actually hated me."
"He never hated you, Peter."
The other laughed besides himself, "Well yeah I know that now, he gave up his place with the only family he knew to keep me safe." He opened his eyes again, "And he gave up his life to save mine."
"I'm sorry." Gamora hated how broken she sounded, how the lump in her throat had only grown. "I was wrong...about everything...about Ego, about us."
Peter quirked a brow, "Us?" She sighed, grabbing a bit harshly at his hair, "Ah okay ow Mora, sorry." He was smiling though and Gamora rolled her eyes. He watched her for a moment before speaking again, "Ego told me that you were like Brandy."
"Excuse me?" Her eyes pierced him in a sudden burst of anger, or jealousy. She wasn't sure which but she would not be compared to some starry eyed waif that Peter or his father had seduced before. "Who is Brandy?"
"Who is Br-" His brows scrunched together in confusion before his eyes lit up with realization. To her surprise he started laughing; She was about to knee him in the groin but stopped when he pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead. "God, I love you." She didn't have time to stop him from saying it again before he continued to chuckle. It was a warm sound that made her stomach feel flighty and loose, but she hadn't heard it in so long that it startled her. She loved that laugh. She really did.
He was sobering up when she cuddled closer to him, breaking the hold of their hands in order to brush her fingers through his beard. Peter smiled to himself, moving to lay on his back and Gamora adjusted herself so her face lay against his chest. She listened to his heart beat, the steady rhythm almost lulling her to sleep.
"Brandy, is a song." Quill spoke, his right arm coming to rub slow circles against her back. "It was one of my mother's favorites."
Gamora only flushed a little at her earlier outburst before asking, "What is it about?"
Peter wasted no time going into detail about a song about a sailor and a girl that he loved named Brandy. He loved the sea more though, which Gamora found a bit ironic considering how he kept returning for the girl. She also felt bad for the girl, angered that she would stick around and fall in love with such a careless, mindless fool. The sea would never love him back, it logically couldn't. When she expressed her concerns to Quill he chuckled in response.
"It's just a song, Mora."
She shifted on his chest, her fingers loosely playing with the hem of his shirt. The muscles underneath tightened whenever her fingers brushed against his skin. "So I am Brandy."
"No." Peter shook his head against the pillow, "No, you were never Brandy." He couldn't see it, but Gamora smiled to herself, her cheeks warming a bit. "He was wrong about that."
"About you as well," She mused, "You are not the sailor."
His brows raised involuntarily as he lifted his head to peer down at the woman, "No?"
"No. You're a much better man." She could feel him looking at her but she continued to play with his shirt, "You are Kevin Bacon." This he laughed at, his head falling back onto the pillow. She bit her lip, a feeling of pride overwhelming her as Peter's chest rumbled beneath her palm.
They stayed that way for awhile before Gamora sat up and rolled onto him, her arms resting on either side of his head. She studied his eyes first, noting how not even a glimpse of sadness could be seen. She smiled, leaning in to brush her lips against his cheek. He sighed contentedly, his arms coming to rest behind his head.
"You missed," His eyes were closed but his grin wasn't subtle and Gamora couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"I don't believe I did."
Peter's smile grew, a flirtatious smirk that she hated and loved. "No you totally did," His eyes blinked open once more, "That's not how you kiss someone."
She lifted a brow, a look of faux innocence taking over her features, "You thought I was trying to kiss you?"
"Well, yeah." His confidence seemed to shift a bit, "Wait, did I just totally read that wrong because I swear that was like a mutual 'I-need-to-kiss-you' moment."
She cocked her head, playing up the act, "Such moments exist?"
Peter squirmed a bit under her gaze, color rising in his cheeks, "Um..well..only if both parties are interested and...I mean I just thought that- but it's cool if you're not like ready for that...I guess I just assumed-which is totally wrong and I shouldn't have done that because you are an independent woman- a gorgeous, sexy independent wom-"
"Sexy?" Her nose crinkled up at that and Peter turned a deeper shade of pink, his mouth moving to say words but failing to. She reveled in the moment of a flustered Peter before breaking the act and smirking at him deviously. "The Star Lord, speechless. I wonder what Rocket would say." She eyed him dangerously and Peter closed his eyes for a minute, his cheeks puffing out a bit.
"Oh, you are evil." He shook his head, a grin slowing breaking across his face, "Pure evil, Gamora."
She smiled wistfully down at him before lowering herself enough to press her lips against his. The kiss was unexpected on his end and he let out a tiny whimper of surprise before wrapping his arms around her. Gamora deepened the kiss just for a moment before breaking away, Quill's lips chasing after hers before she pressed a finger against them. He pouted in return and she quickly pecked his lips again, enjoying the blissful look that came across his face.
She laid against him, her head fitting underneath his chin comfortably and Peter sighed happily. His fingers traced lazy circles onto her back and she slowly closed her eyes, a sleepiness she was unaware of taking over.
Before she fell asleep, she felt a kiss being pressed to the top of her head and heard a quiet "Thank you" whispered into her hair.
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When she awoke the second time, the smell of breakfast was wafting through the air. Gamora wriggled around for a moment, expecting to feel a warm body pressed against hers and sat up when she found the bed empty. She was about to grumble something about how he left without letting her know, but then she heard the music.
Sitting up, she combed back her ombré hair, a small smile gracing her face as the lyrics of the song currently playing were sung out by a familiar male voice.
"Brandy, you're a fine girl! What a good- no, great wife you would be!" She shook her head as she got up from her bunk and moved to the door. She stood there for a moment, smiling as Peter sang along. "But my life, my love, my lady- sing it Groot!"
"I am groot!"
"Well, not exactly, but sure I like your rendition better." Quill laughed, "My life, my love, my lady, is for me!" She could hear to grin in his voice as she opened the door to her room, finding the others seated around the table they had deemed for eating.
Mantis sat happily, clapping along to the song albeit off beat. She was laughing and nodding along to the lyrics she most likely didn't understand. Rocket was fumbling with some parts, acting as if he didn't care, but the small smile on his face told Gamora otherwise. She moved closer to the scene, Drax was off to the side in the kitchen and stirring something that supposedly resembled what Peter called 'Oatmeal' but what tasted like berries and Yaro root. He noticed her first, greeting her with a smile and a nod of his head.
Gamora smiled back, turning to see Kraglin shaking his head with a goofy smile. She followed his gaze and found Peter- granted with no pants on but with a smile. He was dancing around with Groot on his shoulder, his one hand holding onto a raw Yaro root like a microphone. The other hand grasping his Zune, his finger moving slightly as the music seemed to raise in volume.
"Oh he said Brandy! You are the finest of girls!" She could tell by the speaker Rocket had made, that Peter wasn't actually following the lyrics anymore. He twirled around, his eyes bright, "What an amazing wife you would be!" He caught her eye and his grin grew wider, "But my life, my love, my lady..." He trailed off but Groot happily finished for him, half singing half screeching out an 'I am groot'.
"Good. Are you done know, Star Munch? My ears were starting to hurt." Rocket grumbled, but Peter just shook his hand, picking Groot up and placing him on the table.
The little tree stomped his foot and declared an angry "I am groot" before barreling forward and jumping onto the raccoon's chest for a hug. Mantis grinned at the two and Kraglin hurried to snap a photo with the new Chrono Lenz they picked up from their latest trip to Knowhere.
Gamora watched as Rocket pretended to pull Groot off of him before claiming that the sapling was "too strong to be reckoned with". Then a strong pair of arms wrapping around her captured her attention. She gazed up into Jade eyes and smiled knowingly up at him, he shrugged but sported his own smile as well.
"I slept, by the way." Peter said after a moment and Gamora hummed in response, her arms coming up to rest around his shoulders. "I dreamed about this gorgeous, wonderful-"
"Don't forget sexy." She snickered and his face reddened at the reminder.
"I wish you would." He mumbled before leaning down to press a sweet kiss onto her awaiting lips. They only got to enjoy the moment for a little before Rocket began to make puking sounds and ordered them to get a room. Quill had turned to argue with the raccoon, but Gamora just shook her head, a satisfied smile on her face.