Work Text:
They stopped just to fuel the ship and rest. The planet they were on was classified as peaceful, but it got really dark at the end of the day, and Peter was grateful that the others were just waiting for him and Gamora to return to leave. A strange and scary contrast, since during the day and until sunset the place was beautiful and full of life. But when the sky started to cloud over to dusk the place became something close to a ghost town. The residents didn't have night habits, and everyone retired until the next dawn, leaving only a few open commercial establishments, usually inhabitants from other places to live there.
It was getting cloudy and cold when the two crossed a large strip covered only by sand that separated the city from the forest on the opposite side. A large tree trunk was lying there, perhaps the result of a violent storm. Peter noticed that the wind was very strong at dusk, so the storms shouldn't be much desired by the residents. He walked beside Gamora with an arm around her shoulders. It was the first time that the two had been able to walk alone since Ego. She looked at him when he tried to take off his jacket.
“- Peter…”
“Is cold. I'll be fine if I give it to you until the ship.”
Gamora showed him a beautiful smile.
“I'm very grateful and happy, Star Lord. But we both know that you're probably going to freeze if you do that. I'll be fine. We're almost there.”
Peter followed her gaze and realized that they could finally see the Benatar. He looked at her, looking into her eyes for confirmation that she was really okay with the rapidly dropping temperature, and he was calmer when he noticed that she was.
“Come on then,” he said with a smile.
Gamora smiled back and took his hand, pulling him towards the ship. The two stopped when they heard a strange and distant sound. Peter looked back for the source of the noise, unable to be sure that it wasn't just the strong wind walking between the city streets. Gamora listened, but neither did she reach a conclusion.
“Let's get out of here,” she told him.
Peter nodded and let her guide him to the ship. Rocket opened the ramp when he saw them approaching and closed it immediately when they entered, still holding hands.
“Were you wanting to stay here and live happily ever after, are you?” The raccoon asked angrily, which they already knew was his way of showing concern. “There's a heavy storm coming. Let's get out of here as soon as possible. Everyone is already on deck.”
The couple didn’t respond, they just watched Rocket disappear towards the stairs.
“On the next planet we’ll have a more peaceful date, and sooner, and without storms if everything goes well,” Peter told her.
Gamora nodded, approaching him and kissing his cheek for a long time.
“Me too,” Peter said softly, with the most adorable smile Gamora had ever seen on his face.
She smiled at him before walking in the same direction as Rocket. Anyone who saw Peter at that moment would think he was sleeping awake to catch a glimpse of his smile and the sparkle in his green eyes as he followed his zehoberi.
******
It all started on a day when the Guardians were spending time on a beautiful and peaceful planet where they had just completed a simple mission. They built a fire and sat around it, as they had done in Ego, and told each other stories of their lives. They had done this before, but there was still a lot to share.
Peter and Gamora were alone while the other four went into Benatar to pick up some things from the stock of supplies. They had landed in the field near the small town where they had worked during the afternoon. The gentle breeze in contrast to the heat of the fire made the temperature pleasant. The two were sitting side by side on the floor, Peter with an arm around her. The voices of the others grew louder and soon they appeared outside.
“On my planet we used to roast small animals that we hunted on the fire.”
“Don't start with that story,” Rocket complained to Drax.
“I am Groot,” the little one spoke excitedly.
“You're lucky you don't have teeth like ours,” the raccoon replied looking at the bag of marshmallows that Groot had brought.
“I have never heard of this Terran tradition. I'm dying to see it<” Mantis said beaming.
The four sat around the fire and Drax helped Mantis and Groot to place the marshmallows on the metal skewers that Peter had bought in one of the stores with earth products they found.
“On Earth, families used to do it when they were on vacation or at some celebrations. I don't know if it's still like that, but it was lovely,” Peter spoke with a smile. “Some people sang, others told horror stories, most told stories from a long time ago about their own life or something about the family, and some did it all in a single night, like mine. And it was wonderful.”
Gamora felt at peace when she saw the glow of joy in the green eyes of the Earthman. Peter rarely spoke of the Earth so openly and was happy. They spent several minutes in pleasant silence roasting and eating marshmallows, just like those on Earth, which Peter had also found in the store where he bought the skewers.
“Why do your people enjoy telling scary stories in a peaceful and pleasant moment like this?” Drax asked looking at Peter.
“I didn't have time to find out. For some reason, earthlings tend to like to be a little scared by horror stories from time to time. I think it's the adrenaline that does that. And there must have been a lot worse stories... I only heard the lighter ones when my family did that during those eight years.”
“Groot and I used to take advantage of the times when we needed a fire so we wouldn't die of the cold talking about the next place we were going to steal or the next sucker we were going to hunt to exchange for the reward. One of them could have been you, Quill!” The raccoon spoke with a hysterical laugh.
“If your other hunts were as good as it were the day we met, it's explained why you collect prison escapes,” the Star Lord replied.
“I am Groot.”
“Hey! I didn't tell you about all of our escapes for you to be against me.”
The rest of the guardians laughed as they hadn't in a long time. And that short and rare moment would continue with each of them until the end of their lives, the moment when they could for a moment feel what a normal moment in a normal and peaceful life felt like.
“I used to tell...”
Everyone looked at Drax with an eyebrow raised, already wondering what kind of story the destroyer would talk about.
“I was just going to say that I told Hovet and my daughter about the times my father and I spent time together when he was teaching me to fight,” Drax said, looking surprised by the expectation of the others. “And how well my mother took care of us.”
The warrior smiled, and the smile of Mantis, who had a hand on his shoulder, confirmed that it wasn’t a smile of sadness.
“Despite everything that happened, there were also good times - Mantis started, not speaking Ego's name, since she hated him as much as Peter - There were several nights when he took me for a walk in the colorful gardens and introduced me to the most beautiful stars, even taught me about some constellations. Sometimes when we were going somewhere on the ship he would tell me stories of other places he was. They were all so beautiful. And I really wanted to see something beyond that planet one day,” she smiled, not needing anyone to say that the Guardians had given it to her, and how thankful she was.
Gamora exchanged a smile with her friend and her gaze was lost in the orange fire of the campfire for several minutes. The memories that came back like lightning warmed her soul even more than the fire in front of her, at the same time that made her eyes fill with tears without her even noticing.
“Mora?”
Peter's concerned voice and the warmly warm hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.
“Are you ok, darling?”
Gamora looked at her hands for a moment, took a deep breath and finally looked at him. Noticing the moisture in her eyes, she dried them and smiled.
“Yes,” she replied still looking into the green eyes. “I just... remembered something very distant.”
“Something we would like to know?” Peter asked softly, interlacing his fingers with hers and giving her a gentle smile.
“When I was six, my father built a fire in front of our house and also told us stories, I remember he held me in his arms and hugged my mother. The two told me how happy their childhoods were, despite the difficult times, how they met and how they loved each other when we could enjoy moments like that together.”
Peter's concern disappeared when he saw her smile. He knew every smile on Gamora's face, and he knew it wasn't a fake, despite the pain in the back of her eyes, she was really happy to remember and for what they were sharing now.
“I am Groot!!”
The zehoberi opened a beautiful smile for the baby and placed him on her lap. The Guardians talked there until the fire started to subside, by which time Groot was already sleeping heavily in Gamora's lap, and Rocket took him inside, saying good night and retiring to sleep. Soon Mantis did the same and then Drax.
“Are you going to spend the night here? You should set up camp,” he suggested.
“Let's go in soon, just enjoy the stars a little more,” Peter said.
“Good night,” Drax told them with a slight smile before entering the ship.
Peter surprised her when he left the stone they were sitting on and lay on the floor at a safe distance from the fire, inviting her to join him. Gamora did so, settling on his chest and hugging him, feeling Peter's arm hold her by the waist.
“Are you really fine?”
“Yes... I just didn't know that I still remembered that, even with those details. I'm happy for that,” she replied before he asked.
Peter nodded and they both stared at the stars, the view from where they were standing was magnificent. A long streak of a lighter shade than the rest of the sky stood out in a shade of sparkling lilac. Peter kissed her forehead and Gamora sighed. They stared at each other for a long moment before exchanging a deep, loving kiss. They both thought of something to say, but it wasn't necessary. They watched the bright spots in the sky again for almost half an hour before they were asleep embraced in their bedroom inside the ship.
******
Gamora smiled when she heard footsteps enter the kitchen and felt Peter's hands massaging her hair as she was analyzing job offers for them on her datapad. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and felt Peter kiss her head. This time Gamora couldn't resist turning around to exchange a smile with him and kiss him on the lips, then resuming her research while the Star Lord played with her hair. She didn't know what he was doing, but the movement was smooth and relaxing.
“How was the search for supplies with Drax?” She asked him.
“It went well. We found everything we needed. We arrived a few minutes ago, soon we'll keep everything. Drax went to deliver the spare parts to Rock. Any interesting work? Something that can almost kill us again? Please say no. Not now.”
Gamora laughed softly. They had done some dangerous missions recently, and they were all a little tired.
“No. Nothing too complicated. Of course, we need to investigate before accepting any to be sure that a simple mission isn't hiding to face an entire army or something deadly like some irresponsible contractors. There're people wanting our services on a planet close to here. We'll discuss this with the whole team in a little while,” she finally said leaving the datapad aside.
Peter nodded.
“Peter? What you...?”
“Almost done,” he replied, and Gamora heard a smile in his voice, noting that it had been a long time since she had felt her hair fall over her shoulders.
She felt Peter grab her hair and let it go. Gamora reached out and felt the root braid he made in her hair. Peter had already told her about this skill, which he had learned from his mother, but Gamora never had a chance to see it.
“What did the most beautiful warrior in the galaxy find?” Peter asked sitting next to her and turning on the front camera of his own datapad so she could see it.
In addition to all the delicacy with which he handled the wires, Peter was skilled. The hairstyle was beautiful and safe. Gamora smiled.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “And your mother would be proud to see that you learned well.”
“She would love to have met you.”
“I would also be happy to meet her. I'm sure she was as sweet as you tell us.”
Peter smiled.
“I feared you might be irritated. You gave me the idea when you pulled your hair out of sight.”
She laughed and kissed him.
“Thank you,” she whispered and gave him another kiss.
“Not in front of Groot!!” They heard Rocket complain suddenly and saw him take Groot away while covering the little boy's eyes.
They both laughed and ignored him, putting their lips together again.
******
Gamora didn't know how to describe what was going on. She had never done this with anyone, especially because of what happened on a particular planet when she was a child. She never talked about the details of what happened to anyone, only Peter. And he had been not only incredibly affectionate, protective, and understanding with her that day, but he was being the pure expression of love, respect, and care for her now. What for people in normal conditions might take a few minutes, for them it was already more than half an hour, in which they danced, talked, and followed slowly. Neither of them was bothered by this.
And Gamora believed him when he said that it was the first time that he could feel love in such an act and understand why it was so much more important and profound than he thought years ago, and she was in heaven for her Earthman to tell her that. It wasn't just a new sensation for Peter, it was something new caused by her and no one else. And Gamora could say the same about him, despite his total lack of experience. Peter was able to express his love for her and the importance he attached to what she thought and felt in a way that made it easy to overcome the barriers of her traumas.
“Gamora,” he called softly when he stopped the kiss they were in to get up a little and face her.
The zehoberi slid her hands over the earthman's bare chest until they rested on his shoulders to finally face him, not losing his sigh with this movement.
“We'll only continue if you are well. And I want you to tell me the truth, honey,” he said in the sweetest voice Gamora has ever heard.
Both were protected by the covers, despite the clothes thrown on the floor. Peter had decided to keep it that way for her, at least this time. The sound of the zune was heard quietly around the bedroom, in one of the slow songs they used to dance to. Gamora loved him more every second.
“If I hurt you or it’s uncomfortable for you, I want you to let me know. The decisions are yours tonight. Tell me anything you want.”
“What you think is important to me too.”
“And the important thing for me is that you're well. We're the perfect loop,” he smiled, watching her laugh softly, and Peter was in heaven with her smile.
Peter thought about commenting that he didn't know why the zehoberi didn't kill him when they accidentally fell into the same position they were in now when he saved her in Nowhere, but he decided to save the comment for a next time. Taking care of Gamora and making her as comfortable as possible tonight was the most important thing for him now. The two had talked for many nights, and started this weeks ago, but never going too far, Peter always expected her to decide the next step, and never insisted when she thought they had gone far enough or when she simply wanted to snuggle to him and listen to the zune or sleep, as he had promised the day she revealed her past to him, he was taking care of her, every moment. And now with his hand caressing her face and the Earthman's lips kissing her forehead at length, Gamora was only more sure of that.
“Good memories, let's make good memories,” Peter spoke softly kissing the silver marks on her cheek and looking at her then.
And Gamora felt so loved, so dear with that look. She stroked the Star Lord's face and intertwined her fingers in his ginger hair, pulling him into a kiss.
“I love you. I trust you,” she whispered against his lips.
“I love you more than anything, Gam,” he replied in the same tone before kissing her again, not failing to notice her sigh when the new nickname moved her.
******
Peter sat alone in his chair on the deck, thanking that it was at the top, making it difficult for anyone below to see him sitting there. They were stationed in Xandar in the Tropa Nova parking lot, after leaving in the custody of Nova Prime the criminals they had captured after invading their secret base on a nearby planet. The place was heavily guarded and they got only part of the building plan. They made a precise plan, but the place that they didn't know is that it brought the problems, forcing them to improvise. And despite all the experience with improvisations, they still had problems, and Gamora had stayed behind to make sure everyone left before the building collapsed. When everyone was safe they ended up fighting when Peter said he would never let her do it again, and Gamora reminded him that any of them could be in her place and have no other choice to make in any battle, as he himself had been in Ego. Heavens! He thought she was dead! Seeing the rubble moving and finding her alive and with few injuries was one of the best moments of his life.
They hadn't talked about it since the hospital, where Peter didn't leave her even for a second, even though the injuries were minor and the care was very quick. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heels entering discreetly on the deck. The sound stopped when she probably reached the door and was silent for a while.
“Peter?”
Her tone was serious, and he couldn't tell if she was still angry with him. He turned to look down, and his eyes met hers for an instant, becoming more relieved to notice that she didn't seem as tense as before.
Gamora went up to where he was and without saying a word she sat on his lap and curled up against him. Peter hugged her and they were silent, watching the sky clear as the stars began to disappear to make room to the early hours of the morning.
“Gam...” he murmured in pain when he dipped his nose into her hair and squeezed her tighter. “I thought you were dead.”
“I know,” she whispered, stroking his shoulder. “I'm sorry. And for everything I said. As much as it's true, we should have talked later, calmly.”
“You were right. You always are. You're the brain of that team. We need to stop breaking plans and let the mistakes go. We have to talk, all of us, and think about what to do in certain unforeseen circumstances. We cannot predict everything, but we can think of some alternatives.”
The zehoberi nodded.
“I imagined that the moments when we have to make dangerous and no-return decisions would be one of the most difficult parts of this. But when it really happens, it's distressing and terrifying. I didn't want to lose you, but knowing that we could all have died and doing nothing would make me even worse,” she told him. “I couldn't take it again.”
Peter didn't have to ask to know that she was referring to their relationship, the family they raised, and the day Thanos took everything she had, including her birth family. The Star Lord looked at her deeply and raised his free hand to her face.
“We’re all fine. That's all that matters now.”
Gamora nodded calmly before they put their lips together and closed their eyes. As he kissed her, Peter checked her, looking for clues about her injuries, sliding his thumb into a spot close to the brown hair, and realizing that the cut that was there was gone. Then he stroked her cheek and her arm, also noticing the lack of scratches that were there hours ago. Finally, his hand slid to her back. Realizing what he was doing, Gamora stroked the Earthman's face, letting him know she was okay, and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.
“I love you so much,” she whispered when they walked away and she pressed her forehead against his, still with her eyes closed. “My Star Lord.”
Peter took a deep breath, feeling an avalanche of feelings at that moment. Gamora had already called him Star Lord several times, but never saying he was hers.
“I love you too, my Gamora,” he replied in the same tone.
He had called her that before, but she smiled just like the first time. Her fingers caressing the back of his neck began to caress his cheek, and Gamora kissed his forehead before settling against him and being hugged again.
“Rock is down there trying to build a kind of shield for situations like today. He said that if we had one of these before we could have protected ourselves from a lot of trouble. I think I heard him laughing and mumbling something about spending it on your face the rest of his life when I came here.”
Peter laughed. Rocket was Rocket, as the raccoon himself insisted on emphasizing.
“We have to thank him for that, even if he can't.”
“At some point he will, and I'll have to spend the rest of my life separating the stupid fights between you two.”
Peter laughed a lot this time, and Gamora smiled relieved to be all right again. Outside, the sky was beginning to clear and the last stars were disappearing. Peter took his long overcoat beside him on the floor and placed it over the two of them, protecting them from what was left of the cold of dawn.
“I know you don't feel so much cold. But you have to admit that this is a good thing.”
“I like that,” she smiled.
The Star Lord rested his head on hers as they watched the sky, and the rest of the team found them sleeping in the same place minutes later. Drax smiled and slapped Rocket on the head, who almost opened his mouth to wake them up.
“I was just going to ask their opinion on what I'm building.”
“I am Groot.”
“What? Tell me once that I tried to hinder them.”
“I am Groot. I am Groot... I am Groot.”
“OK, enough! You never really allow it any way,” the raccoon murmured, leaving the deck with Drax and Mantis, who laughed at the conversation while carrying Groot.
