Chapter Text
“Maybe, we should just go to Xandar and get the orb ourselves instead of waiting on Nebula to fail again," Peter said sarcastically, wrapping his dark blue blanket tighter around himself.
"Maybe you should shut up, worthless Terran!" Nebula drew her sword, but didn't strike. She knew her boundaries. She shouldn't risk it.
"I've got more worth than you do," he quipped, giving her a smug look. "That's why I'm here by choice and you're not." The last part was mumbled, but she heard it anyways.
"That's it, Terran!" Nebula pounced at him, Peter flailed and scrambled to get off the table he was perched on and made a run for it, blanket dragging behind.
"Nebula! Stop!" Gamora's voice rang throughout the room.
Just then, Nebula tackled Peter and straddled him, wrapping her hands around his neck and squeezing. "Make one more stupid remark, Terran!" She sneered at him.
"That's...what I had planned!" He wheezed out. She squeezed tighter.
"Nebula, leave him alone!" Gamora said, getting frustrated with her sibling.
"And give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right where you lay!" She glared down at Peter, his eyes were watery and his face was turning pale.
He gasped a few times before answering, "Ronan."
"Get off of him, you fool, before you have us both executed!" Gamora delivered a rough kick to Nebula's side, aiming to distract her. It worked.
Peter took a large gasp of air into his lungs and used what strength he had to shove a distracted Nebula off of him and make another run for it.
The two assassins wrestled for a moment before Nebula realized that Peter was running away.
"I'm not done with you, Terran!" She picked up her sword off the floor and chased after Peter, causing the human to yelp and try to run faster. Gamora rolled her eyes and stood, going after her sister.
"Ronan!" Peter shouted, spotting the Kree Accuser entering the room. He dashed straight for him.
"Stop this. All of you!" Ronan commanded, deep loud voice filling the room. In his hands, he held his hammer, his favorite weapon when in battle. Gamora, being the more sensible one, stopped.
Peter brushed past Ronan and hid behind the Kree, using him as a shield between himself and Thanos' crazy daughter. Nebula forced herself to come to a stop, to avoid crashing into Ronan.
"All of you, you act like petty children. I'd expect it from one of you," he gave a quick glance back at Peter, "but the oth--"
He did a double take.
With a large, calloused hand, Ronan reached up to take Peter's chin, tilting the human's head back to get a better look at the hand-like marks on his neck.
"Nebula." Ronan's growl was deep, but loud as he turned back around to glare daggers at Nebula. Peter shuddered behind him at the tone the Accuser was using.
"Yes, Ronan?" The woman turned, her pitch black eyes focusing on Ronan's violet ones.
"We have discussed this before! Unless you want the heavy end of my war hammer crushing your useless brains, do not touch him!"
"Ronan--"
"Be quiet!" He raised his hammer.
"Wait! No! Ronan, no!" Peter stood on his toes and reached over Ronan's shoulder's to push the Kree's large hands down. "Don't kill anybody! Not right now!"
Peter was squeamish, as any normal person should be, at the sight of Ronan killing someone. Ronan growled, but lowered his hammer. No killing today. As much as Peter would've loved to see Nebula dead, he didn't actually want to see her dead.
He hadn't hated her at first. When they began working aboard the dark Aster, Nebula and Gamora were informed that Peter was there because he wanted to be there, and because Ronan wanted him to be there. Gamora suspected that it was because they were lovers of some sort. Nebula said her theory was impossible. Ronan didn't have lovers. Gamora was right.
Though, they never publicly showed that side of their lives. At least, Ronan didn't. Ronan never hugged or kissed Peter the way the Terran always attempted to. Ronan's way of showing affection was letting Peter have a say so in everything, and letting the human do whatever he pleased. Along with the promise of ultimate protection.
Peter would often attempt to hug or nuzzle Ronan, to get a reaction out of the Kree. But the Accuser would never budge. He would wear his continuous scowl, and stay perfectly still, is if he were carved out of stone. It never seemed to bother Peter, though.
They were an odd couple. Nobody knew exactly how they'd gotten to be. Each time they'd been asked, Peter changed the story.
Gamora had asked once. Peter had told her that Ronan rescued him from being help prisoner by a fire breathing dragon, and they slayed the beast and ran away together. His story was obviously not believable, so she asked him again a week later. That time he'd replied with "Ronan hired me to to shine his shoes. Turns out I also shined up his cold, dark heart!"
Gamora had rolled her eyes, seeing as he was obviously joking. All she knew was that Peter must've done something significant to gain the heart of Ronan the Accuser.
"So, do you have any news about the orb other than it being on Xandar?" Peter asked, draping his arms over Ronan's shoulders from behind. He rested his head against the taller man's back and leaned on him, hands gently tracing patterns over the armor on Ronan's chest. If it bothered the Kree, he wasn't saying so or doing anything about it.
"It is not on Xandar. It is in a ship orbiting Xandar," Ronan said.
"Why don't we just surround them and take it?" Gamora asked.
"It is in the hands of a powerful individual. By the time we reach Xandar, it will have been given to a man called the Broker. It will be easier for Nebula to go down there and get it from him.
"I'll do it," Gamora volunteered.
"It's my job!" Nebula snapped.
"You've failed to retrieve the orb for Thanos once! If you do it again, he will be angry! He won't refuse kill us all!"
"Ronan's already said--"
"Do not make up my mind for me!" The Accuser snapped.
"Wait! I'll go! I'll do it!" Peter said, raising his hand.
"No!" The three of them shouted at him.
He huffed. "Why not!? I could fit in easy! I don't really look like I would be there to kill someone--no offense, but the two of you look like you're out looking for trouble! I could pass as a Xandarian, and I know the Broker! Kinda...he's done business with my, uh, old captain, back on the Elector!"
"No." Ronan turned back to the sisters. "Gamora will go."
"I want to go with her!" Peter said, going to stand beside her.
"You're going to stay aboard the Dark Aster!"
"Why?" Peter crossed his arms.
"Because I've said so," Ronan growled, giving the human a glare.
"Because you said so?" Peter raised an eyebrow as Ronan have him a kurt nod. "You expect me to stay here and listen to you?"
"Yes."
"That's great, Ronan, but you can't exactly stop me, remember? If I wanted to, I could go get my ship right now and leave. Leave and never come back!" Peter doesn't mean to sound so angry, but he's getting frustrated with the Kree. Recently, he'd been treating Peter like a pawn. Like he was there to listen to Ronan. He had to remind Ronan that he wasn't like Nebula and Gamora. He wasn't sent there to listen to him and do as he commanded.
The look on Ronan's face was a mix between anger and something else (Peter couldn't tell. Was it pain? Paranoia?)
The sisters stared at Peter, wondering how he wasn't dead yet. Nobody talked to Ronan in that tone and lived without some kind of injury. Injury that would normally kill a Terran.
But Ronan made no move to hurt Peter.
Instead, he stood up straight, eyes closed, and sighed deeply. "Fine. Do as you wish, Peter Quill. I cannot stop you. You and Gamora will go to Xandar to retrieve the orb.
Peter's mood changed drastically and he perked up. "Gamora, we're going to Xandar!"
"All of you go." Ronan grunted. "All three of you, I mean. Get off my back." The Kree sounded annoyed, but the other three were pleased that they'd get a few short moments of freedom when they got to Xandar.
The green woman noted that Ronan made no move to cause Peter harm. He didn't even appear to want to harm him. She would store that knowledge in her brain and use it for a later time.
For now, she had a mission to prepare for. They'd reach Xandar soon enough.