You’re Not As Lonely As You Think You Are (I’m Trying to Tell You) - Chapter 11: Home is Whenever I’m With You
(read on ao3)
Title from “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Enjoy! :)
"WHAT Y'ALL DID WAS RECKLESS, DANGEROUS, AND STUPID!" Fury yells at the newly renowned Guardians of the Galaxy.
So, here's the gist of what the hell happened...after they defeated Ronan, and parted ways with the Ravangers, Peter immediately handed the real orb over to Nova Prime, who in exchange, sent them to the finest medical center on Xandar to be treated of their wounds.
As soon as everyone was patched up, they headed to Nova Headquarters for a debriefing, where Nova Prime told Peter the truth about his heritage - he was only half Terran. The news didn't surprise him, however, due to the fact that he was able to hold an infinity stone without, well, dying...It wasn't long after that Nova Prime contacted Fury, notifying him that the group of teens were safe in her custody.
Fury arrived two days later, only staying long enough to give Nova Prime his gratitude. Now, here they are - back on Earth, in his office, receiving another lecture.
"Fury, we-"
"SAVE IT, QUILL!" Peter immediately backs down, leaning further back in his chair. Fury takes a deep breath and sits at his desk. "With that being said, y'all did save an entire planet, not to mention, possibly the entire damn universe." The group of teens look at Fury with a hint of hope in their eyes. "Y'all are off the hook this time," The kids let out a sigh of relief. "But! I see any of you taking on a mission this dangerous without permission again, I will not hesitate to give any of y'all the punishment you deserve. Now, get outta my damn office."
As the teens begin to exit Fury's office, Gamora notices the one-eyed man pulling Peter aside and whispering something in his ear. Peter rips out of the man's grasp and meets up with Gamora in the doorway. As soon as the door shuts behind them and they begin to walk, Gamora grabs Peter's arm and pulls him into a nearby supply closet, locking the door behind them.
"Woah, what-"
"What did Fury tell you?" The Zen-Whoberian asks with her arms crossed against her chest and a expression on her face that the half-Terran couldn't seem to read.
Peter is speechless and begins to stutter a bit. "I-I...It was nothing important." Gamora raises an eyebrow, unconvinced. "G, I promise, it's nothing to worry about." The boy places his hands on the girl's shoulders, looking into the souls of her eyes.
Gamora pushes his arms out of her way and turns her back to him. "It didn't seem unimportant. It seemed to piss you off, if anything." Peter lets out an exasperated sigh. "Why won't you tell me?"
"Because, I-I-I can't, Gam."
Red and black tresses whip around to face Peter once again as Gamora stomps the few feet over to him and stands beneath his chin. "Don't start this with me, Peter. Why don't you trust me with whatever Fury told you?"
"It's not about trust, Gamora. Fury just-"
"He just what?"
The hazel color of Peter's eyes shift anywhere in the room besides her. He lets out a frustrated sigh and places his hands on his hips. "He just said some shitty things." This time it's Gamora who lets out a frustrated sigh. Peter finally relaxes and pulls Gamora into his embrace. She slowly returns it and digs her head into his chest. "Listen Babe, I promise, I promise you, it's nothing you need to worry about. It was just a shitty comment he made, that's all."
Even though Peter said it was nothing, Gamora is still bothered by the fact he won't tell her what Fury said. However, at the moment, she's in Peter's arms and that's all that matters to her.
"Now, listen to these words: Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier. Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter. Then, you gotta bring it down hard!" Peter begins to do the running man as Ronan lowers his war hammer.
"What are you doing?" Peter smirks a little. It's working.
"Dance off, Bro. Me and you!" He continues to dance before reaching out to his girlfriend. "Gamora-" She thinks about it, but she doesn't know how to dance besides the slow dances Peter has taught her. The ex-assassin shakes her head quickly. "Subtle, take it back."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ronan's nerves get the best of him as the Terran doesn't stop.
Peter chuckles a little. "I'm distracting ya', you big turd blossom."
Their plan works. Rocket fixes the Hadron Enforcer and blasts the infinity stone out of Ronan's weapon. After that, time seems to slow down. "Peter, no!" Gamora cries out, reaching for her boyfriend as he recklessly catches the stone in his hand.
The boy falls to the ground and shakes violently as the power of the stone rips him apart from the inside out. Tears stream down Gamora's face as the power from the stone creates a powerful wind storm. She grasps onto a piece of the destroyed ship, feeling useless as Peter's painful cries break her heart. The girl squints in his direction, noticing that he levitated into the air. She pushes through the storm, trying to reach him again. "PETER!" She cries. "TAKE MY HAND!"
Peter looks at her with tears in his eyes and reaches out to grab her hand...but it's too late. As soon as his hand makes contact with Gamora's, he begins to slowly deteriorate from his hand to his arm to his entire body. "I'm sorry, Babe. I love you." It's the last six words he says before the stone completely consumes him.
Gamora's eyes shoot open as she begins to hyperventilate. Shifting her eyes to look at her surroundings, she notices she's back in her room at the academy. The heavy breathing subsides as she lifts a hand to her face, feeling the trail of tears streaming down her cheeks combined with the perspiration caused from the nightmare...at least she thinks that's what it was. Oh, God. She hopes to God it was just a dream.
Her eyes shift to the top of Nat's bunk, noticing that not only was she still sleeping, but Steve had snuck into their room in the middle of the night and fell asleep right next to her. As carefully as she can, Gamora pulls her sweat-filled blanket off of her and swings her bare feet to the cold floor. Like the assassin she is, she soundlessly creeps to the door and quietly pulls it open, wincing at the loud creak it makes. She glances back at Nat and Steve to make sure she hasn't woken them up. A sigh of relief escapes her lips as she continues to exit the room, believing it was best to keep the door cracked to prevent waking the couple.
Just as cautiously, she creeps over to the door of Peter's room and slowly opens the door, wincing once again as it creaks and almost hits the side of Peter's dresser. The fact that none of the students awoke at the noise of the door surprises her. She approaches Peter's bed and carefully sits on the edge of it. Her eyes shift up as she notices the white Freddy Mercury poster beside her. After staring at it for a moment, she shifts her gaze back to Peter, watching as his abdomen rises and falls with each breath. Lying on his back, his left arm is draped across his abdomen, while his right is being used as a pillow and his legs are making the shape of a backwards P.
The Zen-Whoberian shifts closer to the sleeping boy. She brushes back one of the curls covering his forehead and plants a lingering kiss in it's place. The gesture wakes Peter up, but he doesn't seem mad about it. "Gamora?" He asks sleepily, sitting up just enough to be able to see her as he squints. "What's wrong?" A stifled sob escapes the girl's green lips as she throws her arms around Peter and buries her head into his shoulder. Peter slowly wraps his arms around her and rubs his hands around her back. "It's okay, Babe, I'm here. I've got you."
It's Peter's idea to spend the rest of the night in the lounge area: a fairly small room filled with retro arcade games, a large mounted TV, and a long, Lawson couch that sits underneath the windows that separates the rest of the room from the kitchen. The boy opens the wooden, glass door for Gamora, carrying a large blanket in one hand.
As Gamora approaches the TV to turn it on, Peter sets the blanket across the back of the couch and plops down onto it. After Gamora finds the remote, she turns around to her boyfriend laying across the entire couch. His signature smirk is tugging at his lips as she walks over to him. "Where do you suppose I will sit?" The smirk only grows on his face as he lays on his side and scoots as far back as he can. Gamora playfully rolls her eyes and lays beside him, her back comfortably pressing up against his front.
Peter takes the remote out of her hand and begins to channel surf. He lets out an exasperated sigh when he's unable to find anything to watch. "I forgot...there's nothing good on this early...or this late?" It comes out more of a question. Gamora chuckles a little and retrieves the remote back from him, turning off the TV.
"Why don't we just turn it off then." The Zen-Whoberian sets the remote on the floor and shifts her position to face him. They stay like that for a moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Finally, Gamora decides to press her lips to his. It's gentle and quick, but Peter loves it all the same. She chooses to turn things up a notch and continues to kiss him more passionately. Peter wraps his arms around her and rolls them onto his back. Gamora lets out a yelp in surprise, causing her and Peter to break apart and start laughing.
As their laughter dies down, Gamora sets her chin on top of her crossed arms. Peter's smile fades as he tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "What was it about?"
"My nightmare?" Her smile fades as well when Peter mouths a 'yeah'. "We were back on Xandar...fighting Ronan. Everything seemed the same at first, except-" Tears start to well up in her eyes.
"Except what, G?"
"It-it killed you."
Peter swipes the tear that escapes from her eye and pulls her as close to him as she could get. "That's in the past. You'll never lose me, G." He presses a kiss to her temple, before grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over them. It isn't long until they both fall asleep in the comfort of each other's arms.
You’re Not As Lonely As You Think You Are (I’m Trying To Tell You) - Chapter 10: Jig is Up, News is Out (They Finally Found Me)
(read on ao3)
"YOU BETRAYED ME! STEAL MY MONEY!" Yondu screams in Peter's face as he continuously punches him in the gut. The boy is pinned up against a wall by two Ravangers.
Gamora is being held back as well, struggling to break free and protect Peter. "STOP IT!" She cries out as the two men tighten their grips on her arms. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
The Centaurian grabs the boy by his jaw and stares him in the eyes. "When I picked you up as a kid, these boys wanted to EAT YOU!" He lets go, but his eyes linger on Peter's. "They ain't never tasted any Terran before. I saved YOUR LIFE!"
The ex-Ravanger breaks, unleashing the rage that was built upside of him, almost breaking free from their grasp. "WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT THAT?! GOD!" Pain starts to replace the rage in his eyes. "For years, you've been throwing that in my face, like it's some great thing, NOT EATING ME! NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT EATING SOMEONE ELSE! MUCH LESS THAT PERSON HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR IT!" Gamora desperately tries to lunge for Peter, a sympathetic look lingering in her eyes as he continues to speak. "You abducted me, man. You stole me from my home and from my family."
"YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR TERRA!" Yondu exclaims, raising a hand as if to hit the poor boy again, causing him to flinch. "You're scared because your soft, in here-" The blue-skinned man beats his chest to further convey his message. "HERE! RIGHT HERE!" He grabs Peter by the lapels of his jacket and shoves him against the wall.
"YONDU!" Gamora finally shouts, unable to bear the sight of Peter getting smacked again. "Listen to me. Ronan has something called an infinity stone."
"I know what he's got, girl." Yondu spits, slowing rotating his head to glare at her.
"THEN YOU KNOW WE MUST GET IT BACK!" There's a crack in her voice, a hopeless plead that she rarely uses. "He's gonna use it to wipe out Xandar." The hopelessness of her eyes meet Peter's. She quickly rips her focus back to Yondu. "Billions of people will perish." A slight wave of panic clouds over her as she glances around the group of men, trying to scope at least one who would side with her.
The blue Centaurian slowly cranes his neck to face Peter again. "Is this what she's been filling your head with, boy? SENTIMENT?!" The boy's cheek turns a bright red as Yondu's hand makes contact with it. All the Ravangers surround them begin to laugh. "EATING AWAY YOUR BRAIN LIKE MAGGOTS!" His head shakes in disbelief as he pulls back the side of his trench coat, revealing a sharp, red arrow. "That's it." As he begins to whistle, the arrow lunges straight for Peter's throat, causing him to flinch once again as it stops right before making contact.
"NO!" Gamora yells, tugging away harder from the men confining her.
"Sorry, boy. But a captain's gotta teach his men what happens to those what cross him."
"Captain's gotta teach stuff!" Kraglin, a boy who looks somewhat Terran and a few years older than Peter, shouts as the rest of the men begin to grunt in agreement. Yondu turns around and begins to purse his lips as if to whistle.
"If you kill me now," Peter breathes. "You are saying goodbye to the biggest score you have ever seen."
A simper grows on the Captain's face as he turns to face Peter. "The stone? I hope you got something better than that. Because ain't nobody stealing from Ronan."
"We got a ringer."
"Is that right?"
Peter gives Gamora a look that tells her to play along. "She knows everything there is to know about Ronan. His ships. His army."
"He's vulnerable." Gamora adds on, looking at Yondu one last time before meeting Peter's eyes.
"Hey, what do you say, Yondu, huh? Me and you, taking down a mark, side-by-side, like the old days."
There's an eerie silence in the room, followed by the sharp pitch of Yondu's whistle. Gamora and Peter squeeze their eyes shut, expecting the worst. The ex-Ravanger quickly opens his, once he realizes that the arrow hadn't pierced through his throat. Yondu and his men begin to laugh as Gamora hesitantly blinks her eyes open. Peter joins in, laughing more in relief than humor.
"Let him go!" Yondu exclaims as his two men release Peter. "You always did have a scrote, boy!"
Gamora finally manages to rip out of the grasps of the two men holding her. She lets out an irritated grunt, watching as Peter is welcomed back into the Ravanger faction. Just then, the ship gets struck by something and begins to shake.
Lo and behold, it was the raccoon, tree, and maniac. After reasoning with trio that blowing up the ship that they were on wasn't considered rescuing them, Peter manages to convince the group to stand by him and Gamora to take down Ronan. They come up with a plan and explain it to Yondu and the other Ravangers. Once the coordinates for Xandar are set and Yondu gives Peter a warning about double-crossing him, he's finally left alone with Gamora.
He walks into her temporary quarters, unaware that she was getting dressed, and quickly turns away with a beat red face, once he notices she's only in undergarments and runs a nervous hand through his hair. A part of him is curious to see what she looks like without her clothes on, but he has too much respect to violate her like that.
"Peter?" The quietness of her voice is almost soothing, yet it makes him jump out of his skin, pulling him from his embarrassing, filthy thoughts. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you...good? Like, can I turn around?"
Peter can practically hear her eyes roll. "Yes, you can turn around." He does so and notices that she's still topless, in her black bra, pulling on a maroon leather jacket. The boy doesn't mean to stare, but he can't take his eyes off of her. There's silver scars tracing her rib cage and the outer part of her abdominal muscles. They're identical to the ones on her face. "What? Have you never seen a bra before?"
"I mean, yeah, I just-I never,uh, I've never have seen-"
"You've never seen me in a bra before."
The Terran clears his throat as his eyes shift back to her scars. "God, what'd he do to you, G?" The girl bites her bottom lip as her body tenses. "Shit, I shouldn't have-"
"No. We've known each other for a while now. You deserve to know." The Zen-Whoberian grabs his hands and places them upon the scars on her face. His eyes finally meet hers. "Intellect and sight mods." Peter tenses the slightest bit as she slides his hands down to the scars on her mid-section. "Immunization and recovery mods." The girl takes a deep breath before letting go of Peter's hands to take her pants off, revealing more silver scars that outlines parts of her quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles. She lowers herself onto her knees, bringing Peter with her. Finally, she grabs his hands once again and places them over the scars on her thighs. "Endurance and agility mods."
Brown eyes return to hazel as Peter begins to thumb the scars beneath his hands. The boy shakes his head and pulls the girl into his embrace. He holds onto her as if she'll disappear at any given moment.
After a few minutes in each other's embrace, Peter pulls away noticing the tears falling from her eyes. He lifts his hands to her face and wipes away her tears. The ex-assassin leans into him and presses her lips to his.
A loud pounding on the door makes the two jump. "PETE, YA' BETTER NOT BE SCREWIN' AROUND WIT'CHA LADY FRIEND IN THERE! WE'RE T-MINUS FIVE AWAY FROM XANDAR. HURRY UP AND GET'CHA ASSES OUT 'ERE!"
Peter rolls his eyes at Yondu's loud voice. "Get dressed." He whispers to Gamora, his fingers lingering over the scars on her cheeks as he plants one more kiss to her lips. "I'll meet you in the cockpit of the Milano."
The group of teens and the Ravangers put their plan into effect. Like every battle, they lose various colleagues, including Groot, who sacrifices himself for his friends. Gamora loses Nebula, not to death, but to the Luphomoid's own mind. In other words, she escapes. Now, they're about to be defeated by the person they were supposed to stop.
The Dark Aster has crashed and the rest of the teens are scattered throughout the debris, Peter's tape deck, surprisingly still working and playing music. They look up at Ronan as he wields the infinity stone in his Cosmi-Rod. The Xandarians who have encircled the ship, cower in fear as Ronan appears from a cloud of dust.
"BEHOLD!" He shouts, gesturing towards the group of teenagers. "You're guardians of the galaxy. What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance. People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry gods! Your salvation is at hand."
As the Kree continues to blabber, Peter and Gamora share a look as if it'll be their last. They couldn't think that way, so they rip their eyes off each other and ignore the throbbing pain running through their bodies as they slowly get to their feet. Suddenly, Peter hears the faint melody of "Ooh Child" coming from his tape deck. He hatches an idea.
Ronan lifts his Cosmi-Rod above his head, ready to destroy Xandar once and for all...but Peter distracts him, singing along to the music playing softly in the background. He looks at the boy in confusion.
"Now, listen to these words: Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier. Ooh-oo child, things'll get brighter. Then, you gotta bring it down hard!" Peter begins to do the running man as Ronan lowers his war hammer.
"What are you doing?" Peter smirks a little. It's working.
"Dance off, Bro. Me and you!" He continues to dance before reaching out to his girlfriend. "Gamora-" She thinks about it, but she doesn't know how to dance besides the slow dances Peter has taught her. The ex-assassin shakes her head quickly. "Subtle, take it back."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ronan's nerves get the best of him as the Terran doesn't stop.
Peter chuckles a little. "I'm distracting ya', you big turd blossom."
Their plan works. Rocket fixes the Hadron Enforcer and blasts the infinity stone out of Ronan's weapon. After that, time seems to slow down. "Peter, no!" Gamora cries out, reaching for her boyfriend as he recklessly catches the stone in his hand.
The boy falls to the ground and shakes violently as the power of the stone rips him apart from the inside out. Tears stream down Gamora's face as the power from the stone creates a powerful wind storm. She grasps onto a piece of the destroyed ship, feeling useless as Peter's painful cries break her heart. The girl squints in his direction, noticing that he levitated into the air. She pushes through the storm, trying to reach him again. "PETER!" She cries. "TAKE MY HAND!"
Peter looks at her with tears in his eyes and grabs her hand. Eventually, the others join them and as the pain gradually decreases. Ronan, confused as to how they aren't dead, asks how a mortal could contain the power. It's easy, Peter thinks. "You said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." With that, he opens his palm and releases a burst of energy in Ronan's direction, killing him in an instant. Gamora grabs one of the orbs and captures the stone inside of it. The storm diminishes and they no longer feel the power of it. The couple breathes heavily, about to collapse into each other's arms.
"Well, well, well. Quite the light show." Yondu. "Ain't this sweet? But you got some business to attend to before all the nookie-nookie starts." The teen hides the orb behind his back.
Gamora, holding her healing ribs, gives Peter a look of desperation. "Peter, you can't." She watches as he shifts his eyes towards Yondu. "Peter-"
"You gotta reconsider this, Yondu. I don't know who you're selling this to, but the only way the universe can survive is if you give it to the Nova Corps." Peter's eyes are just as pleading as Gamora's.
Yondu shows off his arrow like a trophy. "I may be as pretty as an angel, but I sure as hell ain't one. Hand it over, son." Peter shifts his eyes back and forth between Gamora and Yondu, before hesitantly giving the Centaurian the orb. Too bad it was fake...
Summary:
She's the only one who can make his pain fade away.
Everything aches. It's a close call for the guys. As usual, the mission goes south and they almost don't come out alive. Yet, here they are--covered in ash and soot, cuts and bruises, but alive.
As Peter limps up the ramp of the Benatar, he notices his baby girl on the floor, sitting against her mother and playing with a stack of blocks with Mantis. God, how she's grown in almost a year. Time flies by when you're constantly busy with missions and family.
The eleven month old is clad in a light denim, ruffled dress that's slightly too big for her. The red and black polka-dot straps that cover most of her shoulder, are loosely falling off as she teethes on one of the plastic blocks. Her ebony hair, now developing a soft, red ombre towards the ends, is in ringlets that barely fall past her ears. The brown of her doe eyes become more apparent as she realizes the man coming up the ramp is her father.
"DADA!" Jovi squeals as she drops the purple block, arms and legs flailing in every direction.
It isn't until she hears her child's excited cry, that Gamora removes her lips from the toddler's forehead and realizes the men have returned. She stands up with Jovi, maneuvering her to her hip as she approaches Peter.
Despite the excruciating pain flaring throughout his body, Peter can't help but smile at his baby girl's gummy smile, showing off the few teeth that have grown in. "Hey, Peanut." He coos, giving the small child a quick peck on her temple. "Hey, Momma." This time, it's Gamora he pecks quickly on her lips.
"What happened?" Gamora questions in concern, noticing the few burns and cuts he gathered on his face. She takes a hand off of Jovi, balancing her with one arm, as she brushes a few wet, stray hairs out of the man's face.
Peter shrugs, giving his wife a lopsided smile. "Same old, same old."
"Same old, same old?" Rocket repeats as he makes his way up the ramp, with a snort. "More like your husband almost got himself killed again." As he passes Gamora, he pats her leg and makes his way to his bunk. Drax and Groot follow in the same direction, Drax nodding in agreement.
A nervous chuckle escapes Peter's mouth as he rubs a hand behind his neck, flinching and regretting the move. Gamora lets out an exasperated sigh as she shakes her head. "Peter-"
"I know, I know. You told me to be more careful."
Another exasperated sigh exits Gamora as she gently lowers Jovi to the ground beside Mantis. "Let's just get you cleaned up."
Jovi looks up at Peter in confusion. "Dada?" With every bit of strength in her body, the toddler pulls herself to her feet using Mantis' leg as support. "Dadaaaa..." One of her arms unravel from the bug lady to reach out to her father.
"Peter! Gamora!" Mantis calls out, trying to get the parents' attention.
The couple turns around to see Jovi holding onto Mantis' finger as she stumbles her way to her father. One foot in front of the other, slowly, but surely, she takes uncertain steps, focusing more so on her injured father, than what she's doing.
"Rocket! Drax! Groot! Get in here!" Gamora shouts to the back of the ship as the three guys stumble in behind her.
"Dada!" Jovi squeals again, reaching out both of her arms towards her father with her signature gummy grin.
Peter kneels to the ground, ignoring the throbbing pain from his legs, and holds out his arms to her. "Come on, Baby Girl, you can do it."
"Dada!" The toddler picks up speed, stumbling to the side. Mantis instinctively dives behind her, prepared to catch her if she were to fall. However, the child regains her balance and continues to walk towards her father with a face full of determination.
"Come on, Star-Princess!" Just a few more steps. She makes it, collapsing into her father's arms. "GOOD JOB, JOVI!" Peter exclaims, springing up from his knees and holding her towards the sky. The pain he feels is worth it. He's too happy to let the pain prevent him from showing how proud he is of his baby girl. He hands her to Gamora with a large beam across his face as she devours the child in kisses. The man never knew how much a child would brighten his day and make his pain fade away.
Hope you guys aren’t too upset about this being late! I’ve gotten extremely ill with borderline pneumonia and it’s been difficult trying to write this while being that sick. Anyways! Better late than never! :D Enjoy!!
Summary:
After the war, Peter and Gamora finally begin to cross things off their bucket list.
Beautiful. The only word he can describe her. Their wedding takes place at Avengers HQ in upstate New York. The scenery surrounding the building is absolutely perfect and it's the least Tony can do for all their help in battle.
So, here they are. Gamora looks lovely in her white asymmetrical dress. The front lays mid-thigh, while the small train lowers to the ground. It's an off-the-shoulder dress, the lacy, beaded straps softly enclosing her biceps. The top has an intricately laced pattern, whereas the bottom is made of thick chiffon. As for her hair--it lays delicately over her left shoulder in ringlets, pinned up slightly with a stick-like floral hairpiece. Her nerves, despite how hard she tries to hide them, show in the shakiness of the purple and off-white orchid bouquet in her hands. Being the center of attention in something so personal, surrounded by people she hardly knows isn't her forte.
Peter makes up for it, though. She doesn't criticize him for not dressing up as formally as her. He could be shirtless, in sweatpants, and she can't find it in herself to be pissed at him. However, he does settle in his usual go-to outfit, with the exception of slightly more formal pants. His hair, as usual, doesn't cooperate and lays in every direction, but she can't be more happier to see him.
She continues to make her way down the aisle filled with rows of white wooden chairs, path-offed with a trail of orchid petals and a hanging pot of orchids that match her own on each corner. Directly behind her, on a small table, is a four tier cake, decorated to look like a galaxy with a topper that says 'To The Moon And Back' in cursive.
Groot, holding a white pillow that the rings comfortably sat on, finally makes it to the arch. He joins Peter and Tony as Mantis, wearing her designated plum-colored strapless, knee-high dress, walks down the aisle with Rocket in her arms, despite his constant complaining. Finally, she reaches the arch, Nebula linked in one arm, while Drax linked in the other, in his own maroon tux pants. (As usual he doesn't wear a shirt, deeming it's especially necessary since it is his friends' wedding! They didn't mind, however. It would've been more distracting to them, at least, if he had worn a shirt.)
The spark in his eyes becomes more evident as she finally reaches the end. Tony clears his throat as the music ends and the guests take their seats. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Quill and Gamora in holy matrimony, yadah-yadah-yadah-" A moment of uncomfortable silence passes through the crowd of confused faces. "Listen folks, I'm not a certified priest, so let's just begin with the vows. Ladies first."
"Peter, I've lived most of my life surrounded by people I despised the most, but now, you've given me a family. You've helped me reconcile with my sister. You've taught me what love, true love is. No matter how many times you can get on my nerves, I could never have asked for a more caring and passionate person to stand by my side. I love you more than anything and nothing will change that." She gives him a watery smile as he gives her a lopsided grin in return.
Once he realizes she's finished her vows, it suddenly becomes steaming hot. He's sweating up a storm and he lets out a breath he doesn't even realize he's holding. "Okay, um-" He clears his throat and looks down at their conjoined hands. Gamora lets go of one of his to tilt his chin up and mouths at him that everything's alright now. He nods in return and clears his throat one last time. "So, this is probably the sappiest thing you'll ever hear from me, but-" A silent chuckle sweeps through those who are watching. "Believe it or not, I actually fell in love. I fell in love with you, Gamora. And ever since the first time you kicked my ass, I knew you were the one. Despite how much has been thrown your way, you still have your heart of gold. You care about everyone, no matter how much you want to deny it. You've made me a better man, Gamora and I love you for that-for everything you are." A tear falls from Gamora's eye and Peter quickly wipes it away, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
"Rings, Mr. Tree?"
"I am Groot." The teenage tree gives him the rings.
"I know, I just thought Mr. Tree was more suitable in this occasion." The rings have almost the identical design of a twisted vine. One is slightly bigger than the other, and the smaller one is titanium, while the other is the usual gold. He gives Peter's to Gamora and vise-versa. "Gamora, as you place the ring on Peter's finger, please repeat after me-"
For the couple, the exchanging of rings went by faster than any other part of the ceremony. By the time Tony pronounces them husband and wife, they've already kissed and Peter has swooped Gamora in his arms and carried her into the HQ where the party continues. Now, close to midnight, the newly-wedded couple are slow dancing underneath the fairy lights Tony had set up outside, after the ceremony. Peter thumbs Gamora's newest ring and plants a kiss to it. "So, what do you think?"
Gamora lifts her head off his chest and gazes into his eyes. "Of what? Being married?"
"To the Star-Lord. Everything you imagined, and more, huh?"
"I don't know. Seems like I might want to file a divorce, now."
"What if I called you, my Star-Lady?"
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Gamora pulls herself closer to him. "What if you just call me, Mrs. Quill?"
"You know what, I like that name a million times better. Say it again."
"Mrs. Gamora Quill." She whispers onto his lips with a large smirk.
"No one makes it work, better than you, babe." At the chime of midnight, Peter pulls his newly-wedded wife into a deep kiss, setting off their first official day as a married couple.
Title is from “Cecilia and The Satellite” by Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness. Enjoy! :)
Summary:
It's almost a year after the war, and she's finally born.
Tears begin to form in his eyes as he and Gamora laugh in relief, hearing her cry for the first time. As soon as they clean her up, they wrap her in a white hospital blanket and gently place her in her mother's arms. The infant immediately stops crying and gazes into the soft, brown irises of her mother's eyes.
Gamora lets out a watery chuckle. "Hi, sweetie." The back of her finger lightly brushes the child's soft skin. "She's beautiful, Peter."
"And tiny." The ex-Ravanger plants a soft kiss to the top of his wife's head. "We make some pretty cute babies, don't we?" He receives a content hum in return. Peter extends a hand to softly caress the newborn's head. "She's got your eyes."
"Would you like to hold her?" Gamora whispers, tilting her head to face Peter. The man gives her a soft smile and carefully lifts the petite infant out of Gamora's arms. "Be careful--her head."
Peter nods, taking a closer look at his daughter as the tears, once flooding his eyes, begin to trail down his cheek. Gamora is right--she's absolutely gorgeous. A perfect combination of the two of them. She has her mother's dark hair, button nose, and chocolate eyes. As for Peter, she inherits the shape of his face, his pale skin, and his curls.
"Hey, Jovi. I'm-I'm your daddy." He shares another watery chuckle with Gamora and turns the infant to face her. "You see the beautiful, green woman over there? She's your mommy."
He can't believe they're at this point in their lives. It was hardly a year ago, he thought they were both dead and that Thanos had won. Now, they're married and have a daughter--things they've been planning to do for years. Jovi begins to fuss and Peter's eye get wide, afraid that he did something wrong.
"Oh, shit. What'd I do?" He panics, looking at Gamora for reassurance.
"You didn't do anything, Peter. She's just a baby. They fuss for no reason." Her voice is calm, almost as if she's had experience. "Remember when Groot was that age?" There it is. "Just gently rock her. Tell her a story."
Nodding his head, Peter does as he's told. The tension that he built up, fades when she stops crying. "Your mommy--she's a hero, ya know?" His eyes flicker up to Gamora, who is softly smiling at the scene. "There was this bad man, this Thanos. Mommy pretty much sacrificed herself to save the universe from him. He's all gone now and he's not gonna lay a hand on you...I promise."
"Tell her the story of her name."
"Good one!" Gamora lets out a soft chuckle. "You know, we've been planning this moment for years. One night, we were looking up at the stars and we started talking about our future together." Peter shifts his eyes towards her again, gaining an encouraging smile in return. "We-we named you after one of your mother's favorite artists, Bon Jovi." A small coo escapes Jovi's mouth.
As soon as Peter finishes his sentence, the rest of the Guardians enter the hospital room. "Meet the rest of your family, little Star-Princess." For the first time in his life, Peter can finally say he experienced a miracle within a hospital.
Title from “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease. It’s also the song mentioned in this chapter! Enjoy! :)
Summary:
After the war, Peter finds something that he thinks will lighten the mood.
Thanos is officially pronounced dead. The universe is finally safe from his screwed up plans of saving it. However, the Avengers and Guardians don't walk out unscathed. They're all shaken up, especially the handful who were involved in the dusting. Especially the woman who was thrown off the cliff in exchange for the soul stone and the man who was heartbroken at the fact that he was almost forced to kill her.
So, yeah. They were pretty shaken up. However, that doesn't prevent Peter from trying to lighten the mood...her mood.
They're still on Earth, but only because their ship is being repaired. Peter takes advantage of this time, driving to a nearby general store with a sign that says Walmart in blue lettering. Tony lets him borrow one of his cars and gives him a credit card to buy anything he needs to stock his ship. Of course, Peter being Peter, he has to buy some things he didn't necessarily need.
This leads to him wandering around the store, picking up junk food, clothes, and other things that he didn't need. He eventually finds himself in the toy aisle and can't help, but look at how the toys have changed since he was a kid. There was still creepy dolls, and Barbie definitely got a new look. There are also action figures of the Avengers, and games that he used to play with his mother and grandfather all the time.
That's when he finds himself staring at something he always wanted as a kid - a karaoke machine. It's in a black box labeled iSing. He finds a clearance tag on the box, showing the price of the product to be seventy dollars. A small smirk forms upon his lips as he carefully places it in the cart and speed-walks back to the aisle he passed that had various racks with CDs. He looks for what seems like hours until he finds one that puts a large smile on a face.
"Peter, what's this all about?" Gamora asks, rolling her eyes as Peter pulls her into the living area of the hotel Tony rented out for them.
"Just trust me!" He replies with a lopsided grin. An exasperated sigh escapes Gamora's mouth as she is pulled into the middle of the room. "Close your eyes."
She does as she's told as he places a oddly-shaped object in her hand. When she hears the instrumental to her favorite Grease song, a large smile finds its way to her lips. She opens her eyes to Peter holding an identical object as he begins to sing John Travolta's part into it. Gamora mimics him as it becomes her turn to sing.
Turns out that karaoke machine was much more needed than Peter originally thought.
(Starmora Week 2018 - Day 3: Night Confessions/Stargazing)
Title is from “All of the Stars” by Ed Sheeran! Enjoy!!
Summary:
After a stressful mission, Peter and Gamora take a walk.
The mission doesn't go as planned. Rocket almost gets set on fire, Mantis almost gets shot, and Drax...well, Drax almost gets himself killed by taking on more criminals than he could handle. So, yeah. It was stressful.
However, stressful in his eyes is also a good thing. It usually meant going on long walks with Gamora, which is what they're doing now. The mission somehow brought them back to Berhert, which also brought back some unwanted memories from the two months prior. Ego. Yondu. Their fight. That was all in the past, but a remainder of it still sent a horrible feeling to their guts. Although, they did miss how beautiful the planet looked at night.
Hand-in-hand, they walk far away from the Benatar. They take in the calming nature of the forest, in a comfortable silence. At least until Peter trips over his own two feet, mesmerized by the beautiful scenery.
"Are you okay?" Gamora asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but it's surprisingly really comfy down here." With a grunt, he rolls himself onto his back and looks up at the stars. A yawn escapes his mouth as he shifts his eyes to Gamora, who's glaring at him with her arms crossed. "I'm too tired to get up."
The woman softens her expression and playfully rolls her eyes. She stretches out her hand to him, only to get gently pulled beside him. If it wasn't for her being as exhausted as he is, she would've hesitated more than she did. And so, they lay there in silence, gazing up at the stars. "It's beautiful."
"Just like you." Peter whispers even though they were completely alone.
A soft chuckle escapes Gamora's mouth. "God, you're such a sap."
"It's true." He states, turning his head to face her. "Where do you see us, like five years from now?"
Gamora turns to lay on her side. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about the future." She looks at him in curiosity. "What about you, Peter Quill? What plans do you have up your sleeve?"
"I mean, I guess I've always had an idea." Peter explains as he mirrors Gamora's position.
"And what's that?"
"I mean, I always saw my mom moping about Ego and...you know what came of that." Gamora nods as if prompting him to continue. "But, um, she always told me these stories about everything they did together. Of course, I never forgave him for leaving, but...this is gonna sound kinda weird...I made her a promise that I'd fall in love with someone who would come back. If that makes sense?" A green hand stretches out to rub his own.
"Of course it does, but it's not weird. Not at all." She gives him a soft, sentimental smile that makes his heart beat a little faster than usual. "What else?"
Peter clears his throat. "Well, I mean, I always watched those movies and TV shows where people fall in love, and get married...even have kids..." The last part is barely audible, but it makes Gamora's smile widen a bit.
"Is that what you want?" The ex-assassin somehow subtly moved closer to him in the time they'd been talking. They're merely inches apart and Peter can count every single one of her eyelashes. "Get married and have children?"
Heat starts to radiate in Peter's cheeks as his face gets slightly more red in the dim rays of the moons. "I guess." He rubs an awkward hand on the back of his neck.
Gamora's hand slides off Peter's hand and onto his chest, looking at him through her eyelids. "And who do you plan to do this with?" It's rare to see Gamora this playful and noticing that she isn't scared of his answer, he decides to play back.
"Well, I mean, there's this girl that totally kicked my ass a few months ago. She's green and she's such a badass with her sword."
"And?" She's leaning into him.
"She's the most beautiful and caring woman I've ever met."
"And?"
His heart is beating out of his chest at this point. "No matter how much shit gets thrown her way, she still has a heart of gold."
"And?"
There's a slight pause as Peter thinks of what to say next. It's hard to think when you have the most dangerous, yet sexiest, woman in the galaxy, pressed up against your chest, grazing your lips with her own. "And I want to live the rest of my life with her by my side, like she is right now."
"God, you're such a sap." With that, she smashes her lips against his. Gamora rolls them both over onto his back, straddling him between his hips and continuing to passionately kiss him. "I...love you." She whispers in between kisses. It's the first time she says it, and if it wasn't for them being out in the open, it might've led somewhere else...
As soon as they break apart for air, they pull back enough to where their foreheads are still touching. Gamora pushes herself off of him enough to where she could grab his hand. She sets their intertwined hands on his chest and lays on top of them.
Peter lifts up his free hand and begins to run his fingers through her hair. After a moment of silence, she finally speaks, "If you do have children with her, what would you name them?"
"If it's a girl, probably Jovi, as in Bon Jovi, of course. If it's a boy, I don't know. Probably, Lennon, as in-"
"John Lennon." Gamora chuckles.
"What about you?"
"I don't know. I love your ideas though."
"Of course, you do." He receives a playful smack against his chest. "Yup, I deserved that."
"I don't want to go back. I'm comfortable here." The woman nuzzles further into his chest and lets out a deep sigh. Eventually, she dozes off and falls asleep on his chest and he's fine with it.
Title from “Jump” by Van Halen. It’s also mentioned in this story along with “Laughter Lines” by Bastille!
Enjoy!
Summary:
A few weeks after Ego, Peter and Gamora go on their first date. However, it doesn't go as Peter plans.
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE SHITTIN' ME!" Peter yells as he tosses his data-pad aside and plops down on his bed.
Well, it wasn't technically his bed anymore...it was theirs. A few weeks have passed since Yondu's funeral, since their unspoken thing wasn't so unspoken anymore. Even though the team was taking things slow, still coping with the death of their fallen friend, Peter and Gamora have yet to go on their first date.
It was something Peter had been stressing about for days, now. He wanted it to be perfect, not only for him, but for Gamora as well. However, every time he came upon a new idea, an obstacle always remained in his way, whether it'd be money, space, or even time.
The Benetar is docked on a humid, tropical planet. Gamora and Peter were on ship and Groot duty, while the others went on a small mission. It isn't too bad. They left the ship late at night, after Groot is already sound asleep. Gamora is cleaning up the dinner mess that the others seemed to have snuck out of doing. It's the perfect time for Peter to find a place to surprise Gamora on their first date. Unfortuantely, it's not going very well...
Soft footsteps approach the quarters, noticing the man laying on the bed, facing the opposite direction of the door. The footsteps continue until they reach the bed and pick up the data-pad that was still opened on a certain tab.
"Peter?" Gamora's voice, even though almost inaudible, causes the man to jump out of his own skin and fly out of the bed.
As soon as he catches his breath, he dramatically places a hand over his heart. "Dammit, Gamora. You scared the shit outta me."
"I'm sorry." Her focus wasn't towards Peter, but his browsing history from the past hour. When Peter realizes what she's doing, he snatches the data-pad out of her hand and quickly turns it off. "Peter, what the hell?!"
"It's not important. You don't have to worry about it." He rubs the bridge of his nose in frustration and turns his back to her.
Gamora immediately figures out what his intentions were and raises her eyebrows sympathetically. After she notices that Peter had no intention of facing her, she climbs onto the bed and kneels behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso and digging her head into his back. It must've worked because Peter immediately turns around and sits down next to her. She intertwines their fingers together and lays her head on his shoulder as if to tell him she was listening.
An audible sigh escapes his mouth as he thumbs the back of her hand. "We haven't really had any alone time together, which means we haven't gone on a real first date. I wanted it to be special, but every place I look into is too expensive for us right now or it's booked." He feels Gamora lift her head off of his shoulder to look him in the eye.
"We're alone right now. That counts for something, right?"
"It's just not the same." Gamora tilts her head up a little to give him a quick peck on the cheek and lets go of his hand to cup his face.
"Peter, I don't want to go to some overpriced venue."
"You don't?" Peter asks in surprise.
When Gamora scoffs, Peter knows he over exceeded what she wanted. "Of course I don't. Come on, Peter, you know me better than that." He looks away as if he disappointed her until she tilts his head back to face her. "Look at me, we don't need to go out to have a good time." No response. She lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes.
Peter's eyes shift towards the fiddling of his fingers that laid in his lap as Gamora lets go of his face. He doesn't look up when she walks away, thinking maybe he offended her somehow. He doesn't even look up when he notices a familiar tune playing softly in their shared quarters:
'I get up, and nothin' gets me down
You got it tough, I've seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches and get to what's real'
It isn't until a green hand comes into view that he finally shifts his eyes back to hers. Her smile is wider than he'd ever seen it before. Returning the gesture, he slowly places his hand upon hers to be quickly pulled to his feet. Gamora's pulls him to the middle of their quarters. "Dance with me." When he doesn't respond, Gamora spins herself underneath his arm. It's a gesture that immediately brightens Peter's mood.
"Watch this." He says with a smirk as he grabs both of her hands and spins them both underneath their arms. A rare laugh escapes her mouth as Peter begins to jump as the chorus states. "Stand on the edge of the bed." Gamora raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Trust me." She playfully rolls her eyes and does so. Peter stands a few feet away from her and holds out his arms. "Jump!" He exclaims in unison with the music.
Rolling her eyes once again, Gamora belly flops towards Peter and he surprisingly catches her and lifts her above his head. He lets go and catches her vertically against his chest in his arms, causing her to burst out in laughter. The sound of it makes his grin widen as he spins her a bit before setting her back down.
"See I told you." She whispers, only a few inches from his face.
A new song is now playing, one they haven't heard before. Their fast paced dance winds down as they begin to slowly sway to the beat. "I take it back. We don't need to go out to have a good time." The green woman smiles softly as she lays her head against his chest.
'I'll see you in the future when we're older
And we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines'
"Have I ever showed you Footloose?"
"I can see why Kevin Bacon is a legend." Gamora is nuzzled into Peter's chest on their bed as they finish the movie projected on the wall in front of them. A soft smile makes it way to Peter's face as he plants a lingering kiss on top of his girlfriend's hair that smells like the usual fresh, exotic fruit scented shampoo she uses. In return, she hums in contentment and closes her eyes.
Title from the song, “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry
I know this is like two hours early, but I WAS JUST SO EXCITED TO POST IT!!! Anyways, I hope y’all enjoy it!! :)
Summary:
It's exhausting when you're the 'parents' of overgrown children. That's why Peter and Gamora decide to take a little R&R.
The beach. Sounds of palm tree leaves brushing together from the light breeze and the soft roar of waves fill the air. It's peaceful and they're the only ones there...well, as in Gamora and Peter. The others left to restock the ship. Having enough of the ruckus caused by Drax and Rocket, Peter suggested that he and Gamora needed some time away. So, here they were: the 'parents' of their dysfunctional family, walking hand-in-hand through the white, fine-grained sand. They walk to shore and set their belongings down. Gamora strips off a loose, white romper, revealing a black, off the shoulder, ruffled bikini. By the time she neatly folds up her romper and places it on top of her towel, Peter has already torn off his shirt and beaten her to the water.
A soft smile creeps upon Gamora's lips as she watches Peter pop out of the water with her arms across her chest.
As Peter turns around, his eyes widen. Gamora was absolutely gorgeous in her suit and intricately braided hair. "Woah."
The emerald color of the woman's complexion darkens as she shifts her gaze somewhere else. She bites her bottom lip in an attempt to prevent her small smile from growing.
"You gonna come in or-?" Peter asks after a few minutes in silence, the only sound emerging from the waves.
Gamora quickly scans her surroundings, taking in the peacefulness of everything. There's no litter. No people. It's only the two of them. Unlike most beaches, this one isn't polluted. It's very preserved and seems like the inhabitants of the planet are very dedicated to protecting their environment. It's peaceful.
The ex-assassin takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, breathing in the scent of the ocean water. "Go on without me!" She finally calls back, opening her eyes. "I'm gonna stay here!" With that, she grabs her towel from underneath her romper and lays it out on the sand. She hears Peter swimming back to shore.
"Well, if you're gonna stay here, might as well turn on some tunes." He suggests, walking towards his go-to grey, short-sleeved shirt and pulling out his Zune from underneath, along with one of the portable speakers Rocket had built. As Gamora turns his back to him once again, Peter searches for a song he'd discovered not to long ago. An allegro instrumental fades in from the speaker.
For some odd reason, Gamora isn't sitting down on the towel she'd laid out for herself. Instead, she's gazing off into the ocean with what appeared to be curiosity in her eyes. Maybe, she never swam for fun while under Thanos' control. Maybe, she doesn't know what it's like to swim without fearing for your life. That's when Peter hatches an idea.
Without a word, Peter creeps up behind Gamora, who's still lost in thought, and scoops her up into his arms. "PETER!" Gamora tries to fight off the urge to giggle as Peter continues to run to the end of the shallow-end of the ocean before propelling them into the deep-end.
Peter lets her go, allowing her to swim back to the surface. He follows suit, earning a glare from the woman. "What?" The ex-Ravanger is prepared for a smack upside the head, or another lecture. What he isn't prepared for is a large splash of water to be hurled at his face. He blinks in surprise, noticing Gamora's slight chuckle. "Oh, it's on."
' And every day that you want to waste, that you want to waste, you can
And every day that you want to wake up, and you want to wake, you can
And every day that you want to change, that you want to change, yeah
I'll help you see it through 'cause I just really want to be with you'
After a few hours of splashing wars, Peter and Gamora finally decide to head back to shore. As they dry off, they watch the sunset together. They talk for what could've been hours. The next thing they know, the sun has finally set and the stars are lighting up the night sky.
In the moment, all Peter can think about is how the girl he's fallen in love with is seated right next to him, sharing his body heat, with a smile that is too big to hide. It isn't until he feels an added weight on his shoulder that he notices Gamora had finished putting her romper back on. He wraps an arm around her as she nuzzles further into him. After planting a lingering kiss to the top of her head, Peter begins to rub his hand up and down her arm.
"Peter?" Her voice is so quiet, he barely hears her.
"Yeah?" The man turns his head towards hers, noticing the way her body is slightly shivering as he shrugs off his jacket and drapes it loosely over her shoulders.
"Thank you for showing me this." With that, she feels her eyes getting heavy and allows herself to drift off in Peter's loving arms.
Peter never thought of the day he would become a father, but he is determined to be the best one he can be, not only for Gamora, but for his daughter as well. Based on a prompt from Tumblr. (Starmora kid-fic.)
Read it on: AO3
It'd been over a year since they had won the battle with Thanos. The whole catastrophic event traumatized the entire team, especially Gamora, who had died in the way she feared most, and Peter, who failed to do the one thing Gamora asked of him and watched as she was taken away by the person she feared most. Even though she knew the universe was safe from Thanos, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach in fear when she found out she was pregnant. Peter had assured her that they didn't have to worry about him anymore, and between them being badass parents and the rest of the Guardians' support, the baby would be safe.
The first few months she'd known Peter, Gamora thought the last thing he'd want was a kid. Yet, after the battle with Ego-after losing Yondu-Peter had found a parental instinct inside of himself. They'd discuss their future a few years ago: if they'd get married, have kids, retire from being 'three-time galaxy savers'. As soon as they were brought back to life, they made a promise...that's when he proposed. Of course, she said yes.
A year later, here they were: Peter laying wide-awake on his side with a pregnant Gamora sound asleep, pressed up with her back against his chest as their legs entangled each other. His left hand was asleep as Gamora was using it as a pillow, while he draped his free arm around her bulging abdomen.
A gentle smile formed on his face, seeing the woman finally relaxing. For most of the time he knew her, she was always so uptight and worried about the future. Now it seemed as if she was finally at peace with herself - her inner demons and the nightmares that kept her up late at night. She had come so far in those few years, even with the nightmares that had turned to reality, and Peter was proud.
The ex-Ravanger whispered her name a few times in an attempt to wake her. Unfortunately, she was in too deep of a sleep. It didn't bother him, though. She was content and that's all he wanted for her.
Peter carefully shifted himself up to a seated position, sliding his hand out from beneath Gamora's head. His bare feet hit the cold floor as he approached Gamora from her side of the bed. He climbed back in, facing her stomach.
Leaning in close, he whispered to their unborn child, "Hey, little Starlady junior, you don't know this yet, but I love you, more than anything in the universe." He thinks for a moment and begins to ramble on like usual, "Well, maybe besides your mother, but I love you both, so much."
A large hand softly began to rub Gamora's stomach. Peter started to sing softly:
'Sometimes I think that you're the only reason
The sun still shines (when it shines)
And when this wicked world starts bringing me down
I tell myself that I'm one lucky guy'
Peter's smile widened when he felt the baby kicking. After a few songs, he found his eyelids growing heavy. A small yawn escaped his mouth. He closed the space between himself and Gamora to plant a kiss on her stomach. "Goodnight, Jovi. I love you."
When Peter climbed back into his side of the bed, Gamora turned to face him, making him jump. A soft giggle escaped her mouth. "I'm sorry." She whispers with a small smirk. "I didn't mean to scare you." Peter, still startled, can only nod. "Hey," Gamora carcassed Peter's cheek in her hand. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Gamora quickly pecked Peter on his lips and smiled. She thumbed his cheek as he returned her soft expression. "You're going to be a great father, Peter."
You’re Not As Lonely As You Think You Are (I’m Trying to Tell You) - Chapter 9 - When Things Turn Out Bad
Read it on Ao3
"Breaking into S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, using a ship without permission, traveling to another planet without permission, knocking TEN S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENTS UNCONSCIOUS! What were you thinking?!"
Nat and Shuri cower their heads as the director scolds them. They were caught by Fury himself not too long after the rest of the group made their escape. Now, they are stuck in his office, getting a lecture about how reckless their actions were.
"We were thinking that Peter and Gamora are our friends and they needed our help. So, we helped them." Nat explains in a soft, intimated voice that was almost too uncharacteristic for her.
Fury pinches the bridge of his nose and scoffs. "You weren't helping them, Romanoff. They're in space, alone. The world is a dangerous place as it is and you snuck them aboard on a ship to let them roam free in the galaxy?!"
"Director, with all due respect, they know what they're doing-"
"IT'S NOT GAMORA AND QUILL I'M WORRIED ABOUT!" The director lets out a loud sigh and stands up from his desk. "The other three is a different story. Gamora and Quill have matured exponentially since they enrolled here. Drax, Rocket, and Groot on the other hand-they are still the same selfish kids that enrolled here, two months ago. They're the ones who are gonna get Gamora and Quill killed."
Shuri finally steps up, in an attempt to persuade him. "You do not know that, Director-"
"ENOUGH!" Fury shouts, causing the two girls to cower their heads again. "Both of you have three weeks of detention, including fifteen hours of community service due by the end of that time."
"What about the others?" Shuri's voice was barely audible.
"I will deal with them when we find em'."
So...they're pretty much screwed at the moment. Sure, the Collector was pretty creepy and his odd obsession with Rocket and Groot was disturbing, but it seemed harmless. They were wrong. The orb turned out to be an infinity stone, remnants of six singularities that were forged into concentrated ingots after the universe exploded into existence. The small tale didn't phase Rocket as he continued to urge the creepy man to pay them. It wasn't until Carina, the Collector's servant, grabbed the infinity stone to escape from his control, causing the entire building to explode.
Now, here they were, covered in soot and ash and debris from the building. Peter and Gamora untangle themselves from each other after the explosions stop. Gamora is the first, however, to get up. She speed-walks to the orb and closes it, exiting the building with Peter trailing closely behind.
"How could we think Tivan could contain whatever was within the Orb?"
"WHAT DO YOU STILL HAVE IT FOR?!" Rocket asks in exasperation as he and Groot regroup with them.
"WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO, LEAVE IT IN THERE?!" Peter steps in.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAD THAT IN YOUR PURSE!"
"IT'S NOT A PURSE, IT'S A KNAPSACK!"
"We have to bring it to Fury or even the Nova Corps. There's a chance they can contain it."
"Are you kidding me?! Groot and I are wanted by the Nova Corps and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gonna experiment with it. JUST GIVE IT TO RONAN AND NEBULA!"
"So he can destroy the galaxy?" Peter's face wrinkles in disbelief.
"What are you some saint all of a sudden? What has the galaxy ever done for you? Why would you wanna save it?"
"BECAUSE I'M ONE OF THE IDIOTS WHO LIVES IN IT!"
Gamora desperately grabs ahold of one of the lapels on Peter's maroon jacket. "Peter, listen to me. We cannot allow the stone to fall into Ronan's hands." The soft, brown irises in her eyes, look deeply into the souls of Peter's. He returns the gaze with just as much concern. "We have to go back to your ship, and deliver it to Nova."
"Right, right, okay. You're right."
"You've got to be kidding me! Are you serious right now, Quill?!" Rocket crosses his arms in disbelief.
"Listen, we're leaving. With or without you." Peter slips his hand into Gamora's and starts to guide her to his ship. They stop in their tracks when they notice Drax in front of them, knives unsheathed and prepping for battle.
"Oh no." Gamora mutters under her breath.
"At last!" Drax shouts after letting out a loud, maniacal laugh. "I shall meet my foe and destroy him!"
"YOU CALLED RONAN?!"
As if things could get any worse, Yondu happened to be on Knowhere at the exact same time and place as them. "Quill! Don't you move, boy!" He yells after spotting the ex-Ravanger. Peter and Gamora exchange a quick glance before letting go of each other's hands and running towards a bay of mining pods. "Don't you move!" He repeats, pushing through a crowd of people and running in the direction of Peter.
"Please tell me you know how to work these." Peter makes his way to one of the pods. He faces Gamora as she rips a man away from the pod he was exiting from.
"I'll figure it out." She replies coldly, powering it up.
Nebula figured out Gamora is in one of the pods and begins to chase after her, ordering the Sakaaran soldiers to shoot at her, Rocket, and Peter. They split up, going through obstacles the Sakaarans' pods wouldn't fit in. Rocket and Peter devise a plan to get Gamora and the orb to the Milano safely. One after the other, they took out the soldiers. However, there is too many and Gamora gets trapped.
"Peter, I'm trapped! I can't make it to the Milano. I have to head out." She maneuvers the pod into the Sakaarans' that were trapping her and begins to make her way towards the void of space.
A small rush of panic fills through Peter's veins as he drops the Sakaaran pod he was using for a weapon and begins to follow her. "Wait! These things aren't meant to go out there!"
Nebula trails the tail of Gamora's pod. She fires up the weapon on her pod and begins to aim for Gamora. "You are a disappointment, Sister." The luphomoid says through the coms. "Of all our siblings, I hated you least."
"Nebula, please." Gamora responds, the pleading semblance in her eyes reflecting through the windshield of the pod. "If Ronan gets this stone, he'll kill us all."
'Not all. You'll already be dead.'
Without even a second to process Nebula's words, Gamora's ship is blasted into pieces as her body floats limply in the vast of space. Peter witnesses it in front of his very eyes and freezes in shock. All he can focus on is the ice beginning to form over her. He doesn't even notice Nebula retrieving the orb and taking off. A tear falls from his eye as he realizes he's going to lose another significant person in his life. He can't lose her. He can't.
'Quill, come on. Her body mods should keep her alive a couple more minutes, but there's nothing we can do for her. These pods aren't meant to be out here. In a second, we're gonna be in the same boat.'
Rocket begins to head back to Knowhere until he realizes Peter isn't following him. "Quill?"
Peter wipes his eyes and turns on the intercom of his ship to channel Yondu's. "Yondu! Yondu. This is Quill! My coordinates are 227 K324." He can hear Rocket shouting his name through the coms-telling him to stop and warning him that he'll die if he leaves his pod. However, his mind is focused on one thing and one thing only. "Just outside Knowhere. If you're there, come get me. I'm all yours." With that, he turns the intercom off and activates his mask. He opens the door to his pod and exits, using his jet boots to float to Gamora and sweeping her up into his arms.
The desperate cries of Rocket's voice stops when he takes a deep breath, removes his mask, and activates it on Gamora. When he hears her gasp for breath, taking in the oxygen in the mask, the weight pushing on his chest is finally lifted. Within seconds, Yondu finds him and beams them inside the ship.
As the airlock opens, Peter is tossed on top of Gamora. They both gasp for air, trying to catch their breaths. Peter pushes himself off of her, cupping her cheek in his hand as he watches her cough. She grabs onto the lapels of his jacket and catches his gaze. "Peter?" Her grip tightens on his jacket.
"You're okay."
The events that happened right before they were beamed in, flash right before her eyes as she remembers everything. Instead of receiving a relieved hug or kiss, Peter is greeted with weak slaps to his chest. "You're such an idiot! You could've died!" Too exhausted to do anything more, Gamora gives up on hitting him and falls limp to the metal floor. "Why would you do that, Peter? Why?" She chokes, tears welling up in her eyes.
Peter wipes away the single tear that trails down her cheek. "Because you're my best friend," His voice is low and it's almost inaudible. "And I couldn't live the rest of my life, knowing that you died when I could've saved you." Gamora closes her eyes, allowing another tear to fall as Peter leans in to kiss her.
"Welcome home, Peter." They both turn to Kraglin with red-rimmed eyes as they're greeted with hundreds of weapons aimed at them.
You’re Not As Lonely As You Think You Are (I’m Trying to Tell You) - Chapter 8: Golden Girl (I’ll Keep You Forever)
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A/N: Sooooooooo, I thought about if they were all teenagers in real life, which actors would portray them. To be honest, I couldn't really come up with any for Drax, Rocket and Groot are both CGI anyways so they're good, Shuri and Little Peter are already considered 'teens'. So I came up with Megan Nicole as Gamora (yes, I know she has kind of a higher-pitched voice than Zoe does, but I still think she'd make a really cute Gamora), Madilyn Bailey as Nat, and imagine Nat Wolff WITH STRAWBERRY BLONDE HAIR, as Peter?! Idk, it was just an idea! XDD Anyways, enjoy! <3
They run. They leave Homecoming and run. They had managed to wake Drax from his unconscious state, but Gamora was still in a state of shock before they left, causing Peter to pull her to her feet and hold her upright as they ran.
Peter digs around in the pocket of his pants for the keys to the performing arts building. Once he finds them, he unlocks the front door, immediately guiding the group to the choir room.
After everyone is safely inside, Peter locks the doors and turns on the lights. Luckily, the only windows in the room are attached to the doors.
Nat and Shuri guide Gamora to one of the chairs, Peter's maroon, leather jacket loosely covering her bare shoulders. Her arms are still wrapped around her abdomen, trembling slightly.
"Gamora, what is going on?" Nat asks in a tone in what seems like she had asked for the hundredth time.
"It's my sister-she's insane." Instead of looking at the girl in crouched in front of her, her gaze is towards the dirty floor.
"Gamora, you told me Thanos-"
"She's adopted." She snaps, immediately regretting it and finally giving Nat an apologetic look. Her eyes rip away from Nat's and shift back to the floor. "I'm not the only one Thanos took from their homeworld."
Shuri crouches down besides Nat, resting an assuring hand on Gamora's bare knee. "Your sister-what does she plan to do?"
"I don't know exactly what she's up to, but I know she's after this orb. I was on a mission to find it before I crashed here. She thought I had it-" Gamora takes a deep breath before standing up and walking towards the piano. "If it's anything like I think it is, we might be in trouble."
"Then, we need to stop her." Peter chimes in, slowly approaching her.
"It's not just her we need to stop-she joined Ronan."
"Wait, who's Ronan?" Peter asks with a raised brow, the rest of the group watching their conversation intently.
"A Kree fanatic who works for Thanos."
The mention of the name sends chills down Peter's spine. Gamora has told him of the pain Thanos inflicted, not only on her, but millions of innocent people around the universe. She has told him what he's capable of and his one and only goal: to eradicate half the universe.
"Ronan may have killed my lover, Hovat, and my younger sister, Kamaria, but Thanos is by far the strongest being in the universe. I will accompany you on your quest to find this orb. Then, I will kill Ronan and avenge my family's deaths." Drax was very silent until that moment. He crosses the room to join Peter and Gamora near the piano.
"What exactly is this orb?" Peter asks, completely brushing off Drax's entire speech. "From what it sounds, it seems like some kind of weapon."
"I don't know what it is."
"If it's a weapon, we should use it against Ronan."
Gamora's head whips around to Drax. "You fool! You'll destroy us all!" Maybe snapping from a comment as small as that wasn't her best move, but it was too late.
"Or just you, MURDERESS!" Drax steps closer, pissing Gamora off even more so.
"I LET YOU LIVE ONCE, PRINCESS!" Gamora finds herself looking straight up at him, baring her teeth.
"I AM NOT A PRINCESS!" The tattooed boy stands up straighter, glaring at the smaller girl in front of him.
"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! Nobody is killing ANYBODY in my CHOIR ROOM!" Peter puts himself between them as they continue to glare at one another.
"It ain't your choir room, dumbass." It's that stupid raccoon and giving tree whom always manages to find themselves in the same room as him.
Peter rolls his eyes and turns his head to said duo. "Can we help you? What are you even doing here?" The raccoon doesn't reply, giving Peter a vexing smirk instead. "Let me guess? Profit?"
"Oh, hell yeah!" Rocket crawls off Groot's shoulder and scales up the piano to gain the attention of the others. "I know someone who's very trustworthy and is willing to pay a whole lotta units for that orb."
"How much?" Peter asks in curiosity, oblivious to Gamora's annoyed eye roll.
"Four. Billion. Units." The emphasis on the three words captures Peter's attention as his eyes widen.
"Holy shit!"
"Yup! About a hundred thousand times the amount of Yondu's bounty on you. Groot and I were gonna go after it, but when we heard Greenie over here mumbling somethin' about the orb, we thought we could use a few extra humies."
"And what makes you think we'll help you?" It's the first time Gamora speaks up since Rocket started talking.
"Cause', I have a big gun that could disable your mods and kill you in an instant."
"I am Groot."
"Shut up, Groot."
"I. Am. Groot." The tree says with more force.
After a few moments, Rocket crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. "Fine. Groot says we'll split the profit between everyone who gives us a hand."
"If I gave you my hand, it would require me to sever it off, disabling the ability to be helpful with it still attached." Everyone's jaws drop at the amount of stupidity they had just heard.
"It's an expression, dipshit." Rocket explains with another eye roll.
"I will never understand Terran sayings."
"It's not exclusively from Terra. People say it all the time."
"We're getting off track!" Gamora interrupts, watching as Drax and Rocket exchange a look and shrug their shoulders in unison.
"Are you in or not?"
Gamora's brown eyes find Peter's. He looks at her with the same grave expression, subtly nodding at her. There's that look in his eyes. The same look he had when she came out of the dressing room at Forever 21 in the outfit he picked out for her. The same look he had when he noticed she was finally able to start reading paragraphs on her own. The same look he had when she finally joined in on the choir ritual. The same look he had when he finally had the guts to ask her to homecoming. The same damn look he had when he kissed her. That genuine, caring look in his hazel eyes that she trusts more than anything in the universe. There's nothing selfish in them either, meaning he has a ethical reason behind agreeing, and he would explain later. She knows him and she trusts him.
With that, she turns to Rocket and sighs. "Yes, but if you do not undertake your part, I will be sure to skin you alive, Rodent. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Greenie, I do."
"If you guys are really considering this, you better make sure this buyer is trustworthy. If something happens that this 'orb' is a weapon and it's in the wrong hands, who knows what could go wrong." Nat states, putting a hand on Gamora's shoulder. The green girl nods in unison with Peter.
"How do we get off this dumb planet without confronting the director?"
"Well, Big Guy! I have a plan-"
Although Nat is training to be a spy for S.H.I.E.L.D., she has very awful plans, which is why Gamora, Drax, Peter, Rocket, and Groot are fully equipped to leave Earth and are on their way to headquarters. The entire building is built underground as a bunker at the edge of the city. The only section visible is a small dome-shaped structure made entirely of one-way glass, and the secret hangar roof behind it. Two men in S.H.I.E.L.D uniforms, guard the steel double doors to the structure.
It was a long drive from their dorms to headquarters-approximately four hours to be exact. So, yeah. It was a long drive. Not to mention being in a small Volkswagen van with seven people, three of which were not as friendly as the others (well, the tree's okay). It's a miracle to get out when they arrive.
Nat's plan was simple: she and Gamora will gang up on the guards and knock them unconscious. Then, they would all sneak into the docking bay and board Peter's ship.
Therefore, they put the plan into effect. Within seconds upon reaching the small structure, Gamora and Nat sneak up behind the guards and kick them square in the back of their heads, watching as their bodies fall limp to the ground.
Peter flinches a little as their bodies hit the pavement. "Ooh, that's gotta hurt." He whispers as Nat grabs a key card from one of the guard's pockets and unlocks the door, following the group inside.
They all scuttle into a confined elevator, uncomfortably close to one another as they ride down to the docking bay. As they exit, they are spotted by two more S.H.I.E.L.D agents, who immediately get swept off their feet, due to Gamora's quick reflexes.
"What does your ship look like?" Shuri asks as they spread out, scanning each of the unique aircraft.
"It's the Milano-the blue and orange M-ship."
"The Milano?" Nat asks with a raised eyebrow. "Like the cookies?"
"No, Alyssa Milano, duh!" Nat pinches the bridge of her nose.
Gamora crosses her arms and glares at Peter. "So, who's this 'Marissa Milano'?" She asks skeptically. Of course, it wasn't out of jealousy. Gamora wasn't the type to be 'jealous'.
The boy gives her a small smirk, notching the hint of jealousy in her brown eyes. "Alyssa Milano." He corrects.
"Whatever."
"She's an actress. I had a huge crush on her when I was a kid."
"You're still a kid." She points out, glaring at him more intensely.
"No reason to be jealous."
"I'm not jealous."
"Okay."
"Can you makeout later, Lovebirds? We found your ship." Rocket announces, rolling his eyes.
"This is your ship?" Peter nods his head proudly. "No offense, but it looks like a piece of shit."
"Wow. Thanks Nat." Just then the alarms start blaring, meaning that somebody spotted them. "Hurry! Get on the ship!" Peter yells over the alarms as he lowers the ramp. Groot, Rocket, and Drax quickly obey, the original four staying behind for a moment longer.
"Go." Shuri says, gesturing to the ship with her head. "We will stay behind and cover you."
"Thank you." Gamora wraps her arms around their necks as Peter makes his way up the ramp, not completely entering the ship until Gamora follows him. The ramp closes behind them as Nat and Shuri start running for the exit.
They arrive at the temple on Morag, only to find out that Ronan's right hand beats them there. Luckily, it seems as if they haven't exited their ship yet.
Gamora whips her head around to the group. "Korath is here."
"Lemme guess? Ronan's henchman?" Rocket asks, crossing his arms.
"You could say that."
Peter eyes Gamora again as if they read each other's minds. "Okay." He says, staring her in the eyes a moment longer before focusing on the rest of the group. "Here's the plan: Gamora and I will break into the temple and steal the orb. Drax, you'll follow and cover us. Rocket. Groot. You two will stay here, protect the ship, and get ready to take off as soon as we get back. Got it?" Everyone nods. "Good. Let's go!"
It's eerily easy to obtain it, only requiring the use of a gravity mine. However, there's never any sign of Korath or his Sakaaran soldiers. That's what puts Gamora on edge. "Peter, something isn't right." She states, reaching for her Godslayer.
"Okay, well, let's go!" He begins to walk out of the temple bumping into a Sakaaran soldier. "Oh, shit."
"Drop it!" A deep voice booms as a man, who looks partially like an android, enters.
"He will do no such thing, Korath!" Gamora spits through her teeth, extracting her sword and charging towards the man with a loud war cry. Drax follows suit with his daggers. "DRAX! PETER! GET TO THE SHIP!" Drax jabs one of his daggers into one last soldier and obeys almost immediately. "PETER!"
"NO! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Peter shoots another Sakaaran that had entered the temple.
"GO, PETER!"
Peter hesitates. "Shit." He mutters under his breath, shooting one last soldier before bolting to the ship. With one last cry, Gamora drives her sword into Korath's abdomen, immediately following Peter. The boy pulls out another gravity mine, throwing it at the Sakaaran soldiers running after them. Gamora ducks and rolls her eyes as Peter yells back an apology. As soon as they have boarded the ship, Rocket turns on the thrusters and flies them to safety.
After the coast is clear, Peter meets Gamora on the lower deck. She watches as he places a small box into a weird contraption built into the Milano.
"What is that?" Gamora asks in curiosity with pursed lips.
"It's called a cassette. It plays music, see?" Peter presses a button and turns a dial as music begins to fill the ship. A huge grin creeps onto his face once he notices the corners of the green girl's lips twitching up. It only grows when she begins to subconsciously bob her head to the beat.
"What?"
It doesn't take long before Peter realizes he's staring. "Nothing." He scratches the back of his neck. "Um...just-do you trust them?"
"The only one I trust in this ship, is you."
Peter glances up at the stairs leading to the cockpit before focusing back on Gamora. "How much you wanna bet they'll ditch us after we receive the payment?" He asks almost inaudibly.
"As long as they don't give us a reason to be suspicious, we shouldn't worry too much about it."
"So, we're partners then?" Peter closes the distance between them.
Gamora crosses her arms and stares up at him. "We had an agreement, but I would never be partners."
"Does that include me?"
The green girl leans in as if to kiss him. She pauses, lips only millimeters away from his. "Especially you, Peter Quill."
He feels her breath against his lips and opens his eyes to see that she had snuck away before they could kiss. A slight chuckle escapes from him as he turns around to see her walking up the stairs with an extra sway to her hips. "Oh, it's on."
Knowhere is practically a place for outlaws, or so Gamora says. It's a grungy place and highly polluted. The streets are packed with aliens of all species, most of them looking homeless, mean, and dirty. They pass a building with a colorfully lit-up sign as a bouncer throws a patron out.
"The buyer's in there?" Peter asks staring as the patron slowly gets up.
"He told me we have to wait for his representative or whatever." Rocket explains as they continue walking.
"This is no respectable establishment. What do you expect us to do while we wait?" Drax asks with a hint of a pout.
"The museum is inside of a bar." Rocket states, stopping in his tracks and turning towards the group.
"There's no way they're going to allow us to drink. We're underage."
The raccoon bats a paw at her. "Psh! They don't care as long as they get units." He starts walking back to the bar with Groot following closely behind.
Drax shrugs and follows suit, leaving Gamora and Peter alone. "I'm gonna fill up the Milano. You coming?"
A sigh escapes the Zen-Whoberian's mouth. "I would, but I still don't completely trust those three. I'll keep an eye on them and meet you inside." Peter nods and plants a quick kiss to her temple before walking back in the direction of the Milano.
It's barely half an hour when Peter returns to the bar, finding her out on the balcony as she cleans her sword. He walks out casually and stands next to her. "Man, you wouldn't believe what they charge for fuel out here. I might actually lose money on this job."
"Doesn't surprise me." Gamora says dryly. "They're making us wait." She sheathes her sword and turns towards Peter with a perturbed expression. "Why did we agree to this, Peter?"
"You wanna escape from Thanos. I wanna escape from Yondu. We're gonna want to leave the academy eventually." He takes a deep breath and sets his forearms on the top of the balcony railing, leaning against it. "I also thought maybe we could leave together." He mutters it under his breath, hoping Gamora would hear it as much as he didn't want her to. He stares out into the void and snaps out of his thoughts as a green hand is gently placed on top of his. Turning his head slowly, he realizes that Gamora is gazing at him with a soft smile upon her lips.
"I-" She was cut off by the sound of a rousing bar fight, involving Rocket, Groot and Drax.
"Oh no." Peter moans, walking past Gamora and entering the bar. She follows suit, noticing Drax being strangled by Groot.
The muscular teen rips himself free of Groot's vines as Rocket powers up his gun. Before he can go after Groot again, Gamora pulls him up by his arm. "STOP IT!"
However, it doesn't stop Rocket from aiming his weapon at Drax. Peter steps in with a defensive hand, blocking his view. "WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"THIS VERMIN SPEAKS OF AFFAIRS HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT!" Drax yells trying to push out of Gamora's grasp to get to Rocket.
"THAT IS TRUE!"
"HE HAS NO RESPECT!"
"THAT IS ALSO TRUE!"
"HOLD ON! HOLD ON!" Peter steps closer to Rocket as he starts to aim his gun again.
"KEEP CALLING ME VERMIN, TOUGH GUY! YOU JUST WANNA LAUGH AT ME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!"
"Rocket, you're drunk, alright? Nobody's laughing at you." The Terran does his best to calm the raccoon down, but the small creature continues.
"HE THINKS I'M SOME STUPID THING! HE DOES! WELL, I DIDN'T ASK TO GET MADE! I DIDN'T ASK TO BE TORN APART, AND PUT BACK TOGETHER, OVER AND OVER AND TURNED INTO SOME...some little monster-"
"Rocket, no one's callin' you a monster."
"HE CALLED ME VERMIN! SHE CALLED ME RODENT!" He screams, pointing to Drax and Gamora respectively. "Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots to your FRICKIN' FACE!" Rocket starts firing up his weapon again, causing Drax to try to go after him again.
"NO, NO, NO, NO! FOUR BILLION UNITS! ROCKET! Come on, man. Hey! Suck it up for one more lousy night and you're rich."
The raccoon hesitates for a moment, finally lowering his weapon with a sigh. "Fine." He says with a slight crack in his voice. "But I can't promise when all this is over I'm not gonna kill every last one of you jerks."
Peter rubs his temple until he hears the last part of the sentence and throws an accusing hand in his direction. "SEE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHY YOU THREE DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" He looks around at the other two, finally giving Gamora a sympathetic glance. "Five seconds after you meet somebody, you're already trying to kill them!"
"We have traveled halfway across the quadrant, and Ronan is no closer to being dead." Gamora pushes him away as he pulls out of her grasp.
"Drax!" Peter calls, watching as the musclebound teen walks away in anger.
"Let him go." Gamora says, placing a gentle hand on his arm, not taking her eyes off of the direction in which Drax was headed. "We don't need him."
"The beings they call Rocket and Groot," A pink Krylorian calls from a doorway near them. "I'm here to fetch you for my master!"
I don’t post a lot, and I haven’t drawn anything in a while, but here’s a quick drawing of Gamora based on a drawing I found on Google. Starmora next! ☺️☺️
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 6/?
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Thor (Marvel), Groot & Rocket Raccoon, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker & Peter Quill, Shuri & T'Challa (Marvel), Peter Parker & Shuri, Gamora & Shuri, Nakia (Black Panther)/T'Challa, Okoye & T'Challa (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Christine Palmer/Stephen Strange, Gamora & Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Shuri, Peter Quill & Natasha Romanov, Peter Quill & Shuri
Characters: Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora (Marvel), Groot (Marvel), Ronan the Accuser, Guardians of the Galaxy Team, Taneleer Tivan, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, Lincoln Campbell, Nakia (Black Panther), Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Quill, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Michelle Jones, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Ned Leeds, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Shuri (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel), Okoye (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Stephen Strange, Christine Palmer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, SHIELD, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Past Relationship(s), Long-Term Relationship(s), Unrequited Love, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Friends to Lovers, Peter Plays Football, Peter's in Choir, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Lincoln Campbell Lives, Gwen Stacy Lives, Slow Burn, First Kiss, Best Friends, Teen Years, School Dances, Talent Shows, Hidden Talents, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Freeform, Gamora Loves Music, Gamora Can Sing, Gamora-centric, Peter-centric, SHIELD Academy, Tony Being Tony, Gamora & Shuri (Friendship), Gamora & Natasha Romanov (Friendship), Meme Lord Shuri (Marvel), Gamora Doesn't Understand, Peter Quill Needs a Hug, Gamora needs a hug, Platonic Kissing, Forehead Kisses, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Cute, Gamora Opens Up, Illiterate Gamora, Peter Despises Thor, Singing Competitions, Acapella Choir, Peter and Gamora Click, fast friends, Hurt/Comfort, Shuri Gets Excited Easily, Protective Natasha Romanov, Nat is the Mom Friend
Summary:
High School AU: She wanted freedom. He wanted to be loved. They both wanted to escape their abusive father figures.
"Are they supposed to fit this tightly?" Gamora asks, adjusting the black, capri jeggings she is required to wear for choir competitions.
It is now October 26th, only a day away from being two months since school started. Somehow, she managed to get out of community service-probably because of the fact that she didn't do anything wrong. In that time, she also couldn't believe she would've been able to become so close to people. Of course she's close to Nat, having to be her roommate, but she also got close to Shuri, and the rest of the kids in the choir-Wanda, Tony, Daisy, and Little Peter (as the group calls him). The other Peter, however, is a completely different story.
Peter Jason Quill makes her feel like time freezes whenever he's around her. He causes her stomach to feel weird-similar to the feeling right before you vomit, but pleasing in a way. There was a time, a few weeks ago, when he started giving her nicknames: G, Gam, Gammy. He even calls her 'Songbird' at times, noticing the way it makes her heart melt below her stoic mask. The reason behind it was simple as Peter notices the way Gamora adores the Fleetwood Mac song of the same name. The way he cares about her-teaching her how to read, how to sing, being kind-she wonders what she ever did to deserve him as a 'best friend' as he calls her.
It's the day of their first competition of the year. Of course, of all the places it can be held, they have to compete inside of their own auditorium against various of other ensembles from different schools around theirs. The majority of the group is pretty nervous, with the exception of Tony and Peter, whose egotistical brains convince them that their entire performance is going to be awesome.
Right now, however, they are in the choir room, having just finished running through their act for the last time before having to perform in front of the audience and judges. Peter walks over towards the piano, panting, and grabs the opened bottle of water that sits on top of it, taking a huge swig. He places the cap back on and sets it back down in its original spot. His hazel eyes shift towards Gamora.
Like the rest of the girls in their group, she is wearing a red, loose halter top with a black sash stitched into the shirt, right below her breasts. Although, they have matching pants and shirts, the girls are allowed to add their own flare to make their uniforms unique. Gamora settles for two, large chained bangles-one in black, the other in white-and her go-to set of black bands on each finger, with the exception of her ring. The girls don't have identical shoes to wear either. The only request is that they match in black. Unlike the rest of the girls, who are wearing different styles of boots, Gamora is wearing a plain, pair of flats. Her black and red hair is half up in a topknot, the rest framing her face in ringlets.
The soft, yet darkness of her irises, meet Peter's as a small blush crawls upon her cheeks, causing her to focus her attention somewhere else. She is trying not to think about how out of all the guys in the same low-cut, maroon, long-sleeved v-neck and black, silky vest, Peter is definitely NOT the most attractive, showing off his muscular arms in a pleasing way.
Before her thoughts can get any filthier, Peter clears his throat, instructing everyone to form a circle in the center of the room.
"OOH! Is it time for our ritual?!" Shiri asks excitedly, jumping up and down, while clapping her hands as if she was a little kid again.
"Ritual?" Gamora questions, raising an eyebrow in concern as she crosses her arms. "Like in a cult?"
"Psh! No!" Peter waves a hand, brushing off her concern. "Before every competition, we have the same ritual as a good luck charm."
Shuri turns towards Gamora, still in her childish state and grabs both of her hands. "We came up with it last year. It is a lot of fun!"
"Do you know how to do the rain dance?" Peter asks, gaining Gamora's full attention as Shuri releases her. She shakes her head. "Okay, well, I don't think it'll hurt to perform the ritual twice. We could show you how to do it the first time and then you could join us the second!" Gamora shrugs and hesitantly nods her head, before stepping out of the circle.
"I already taught Tony how to do it!" Little Peter says in almost as much excitement as Shuri.
"Okay, cool! Everyone ready?" As soon as everyone nods, they begin.
Peter explains each movement as the group starts off by rubbing their hands together. A few seconds later, every other person in the circle starts snapping both of their fingers. Then, every third person in the circle starts patting their thighs. Finally, everyone who was still rubbing their hands together, is now stomping their feet hard against the tile floor. Suddenly, Peter shushes everyone as they all smirk at each other and begin to rub their hands once again in unison. That's when Peter starts singing, "Just a young gun with a quick fuse,". Meanwhile, the same pattern that started with the rain dance begins once again, with the rubbing hands, and stomps and snaps in a beat-stomp...snap...stomp-stompstomp...snap. "Not a yes sir, not a follower," Peter sings as the movements continue in the same pattern. Eventually, the girls start singing staccato 'thunders' as the people who were rubbing their hands together, start clapping in a steady rhythm. "Thunder, feel the thunder," Every other person jumps three times to the beat in unison. After the song ends, they gradually ease back into the rain dance, ending in everyone stomping, before jumping up and shouting 'LET'S GO, S.A.!'.
"Man, I feel like a cheerleader now." Tony admits, placing his hands on his hips.
"Wouldn't surprise me if you were." Nat chuckles.
"Hahaha, hilarious."
Peter gives Gamora a crooked smile, gesturing for her to come and join them. She gives him a soft smile in return and joins the group in the circle. They do the ritual for a second time and Gamora finds herself laughing with everyone as she repeatedly messes up.
As soon as their feet touch the ground after shouting for the second time, the students spread out around the choir room, retreating to their water bottles. The only exceptions being Peter and Gamora who found themselves approaching each other with wide beams, until their fronts were pressed up against each other. Gamora tilts her head up to gaze into Peter's eyes. They begin to lean in with their eyes fluttering closed. The distance between them is so limited that they could feel the other's warm breaths against their lips...WHOOSH! They jump apart when the choir doors are pulled open with much more force than necessary to reveal no other than Coulson.
"What are you guys doing?! The competition starts in five minutes! You guys better get in there, now or you're gonna be eliminated!" The kids look at each other with wide eyes, before sprinting past Coulson and heading towards the auditorium.
A loud applause fills the auditorium as a short blonde girl from one of the prep schools, finishes her emotional solo with glassy eyes. She curtsies with the rest of her choir as they exit backstage, passing a nervous Gamora, who looks as if she's literally holding herself together. The Zen-Whoberian starts pacing back and forth, noticing that every choir that exits backstage is another choir closer to their performance.
On the opposite side of the stage, Nat, Peter, and Shuri are all watching each choir perform. As the next choir enters the stage, Nat glances at Peter. "So...homecoming is next weekend..."
"Steve ask you yet?"
"Yeah. Actually, right before we left. You didn't notice?"
Peter shrugs. "I wasn't really paying attention..." He thinks back to what he was paying attention to earlier that day-Gamora. Not very surprising, but it was the truth. They had gone to the park, which had become their special place to hang out. He remembers swinging with her and talking about how much she had changed in just the two months they knew each other. They laughed about it, in fact.
"'When are you gonna ask her?"
Nat's voice breaks him from his thoughts, making him realize that he'd been staring at the said woman the entire time. "Wait, who...Gamora?"
"Who else, Dummy?!" Shuri exclaims quietly, while playfully raising her brows.
"Listen, I really appreciate you guys shipping us, but as you can probably tell, she clearly does not-"
"BULLSHIT!" Nat yells, a little louder than she meant. She apologizes quickly before turning her full attention back to Peter. "Don't pretend like nobody saw what happened before Coulson walked in!" Her voice is quieter now-merely a stage whisper. When Peter opens his mouth to speak, Nat continues to talk, "Listen, if it makes you feel better, Shuri and I will help you like we always do." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Now get over there and calm her down before she has a heart attack!" Shuri instructs, shoving him in the direction of Gamora.
The boy glares at her before making his way to Gamora, who continues to pace. "G?"
The Zen-Whoberian whips around to face him, forcing a fake smile. "Hey, you ready?"
"Well, yeah." He replies awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. The mask Gamora is hiding under slowly disappears as Peter notices the worried look underneath it. "Hey, it's gonna be okay! I promise."
"But, I always mess up that one part-" Gamora's gaze goes everywhere, but his.
"And you stayed up all night, practicing."
"I told you, I'm not a performer. If I still can't get it right-"
"As much as I want to say that there are perfect choirs out there and we're one of em', there aren't and we aren't. Everyone screws up. It's a part of being human, I guess, but you can't let that get to you." Gamora finally allows herself to lock her eyes with his as he firmly grasps her arms. "You are way more talented than you give yourself credit for." He loosens his grip and continues to gaze into her beautiful, brown eyes. To his surprise, she breaks out of his grasp and wraps her arms around his neck. His arms slowly snake their way around her waist.
"Thank you." She whispers into his ear.
'Next, can we have the Shield Academy Acapella Choir please enter the stage?' One of the judges call from in front of the curtain as the last choir exits.
Gamora's grasp stiffens a little before she lets go. Peter gives her a soft smile before winking. She playfully rolls her eyes at him as he rounds up the rest of their group.
"Okay, so I'm gonna give a quick little good luck speech; we're gonna be awesome. We're gonna kill it. We're gonna get through to the next round. Let's go out there and show them what we can do!"
They all smile at one another before running onstage, grabbing cordless microphones and positioning themselves into a vertical line. The order, starting from the front: Peter, Gamora, Little Peter, Shuri, Nat, Tony, Wanda and finally, Daisy. Peter pulls out a circular pitch pipe and blows into it, producing an F chord. The group starts singing the instrumental to 'You Make My Dreams' as each kid leans to the opposite direction as the person in front of them, with the exception of Daisy. By the time the first verse starts, Daisy is revealed as the rest of the kids stand up and take a step to the side. She starts singing the first verse as she approaches the front of the stage. The rest of the kids form a horizontal line, following her from behind. They all turn their backs to the audience before the second verse starts. Daisy turns her head enough to face the audience as she begins to sing again. The group behind her faces the left side of the stage as the song enters the chorus. They take two steps forward before pointing to the audience. "Well, well, well, you-you make my dreams come true!" Daisy sings with a smile a mile wide.
Their time on stage goes by in a flash as everyone holds their last notes before the auditorium goes eerily quiet. Suddenly, the audience, including the judges, applause, louder and crazier than for any of the other choirs before them. Each member is beaming and the group stands in a horizontal line, grabbing each other's hands and bowing as a group.
As soon as the judges dismiss them, the group runs backstage continuing to celebrate their success.
"Peter!"
Gamora uncharacteristically runs to Peter and jumps into his arms. He twirls her around, unaware that his smile could get any bigger. "You didn't mess up! Gam, you were awesome!" He exclaims after setting her back down.
The green girl can't say a word and so, she doesn't. She just stands there and continues to smile at him like an idiot. Only Peter Jason Quill can make her do such a thing and although she knows why, she acts as though she doesn't.
Peter sees Daisy and wraps her in a side hug. "You, Miss 'I-aint-gonna-get-the-solo', nailed it!"
"Thanks, Peter!" Daisy says with a soft smile. She notices FitzSimmons waiting for her near the entrance of the dressing room and speed-walks towards them in excitement.
"When do we find out if we made it?" Gamora asks in curiosity.
"Coulson will let us know tomorrow."
"Are we allowed to leave?"
"Yeah, I guess. Why?"
"To be completely honest, I didn't think I was gonna like performing. After we finished though, when nothing happened, I felt sick to my stomach. Then, the audience...I think that's the first time I have ever been applauded for anything." Gamora admits, rocking the swing back and forth with her hands clasped in her lap.
"So, you're admitting that you are a performer?"
"I never said that. I just said that maybe, performing isn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be." They both chuckle wholeheartedly.
The sun has almost finished setting for the night. Peter and Gamora watch it in silence, the only noise coming from Peter's music as usual. This was a newer thing for them. Sure, the park was deemed their 'place', but watching the sun set every few days and reading together afterwards has been a new routine they've both become accustomed to.
"It's beautiful."
"You say that every time." Peter chuckles.
"It's true, though." Gamora faces Peter with soft eyes. "Isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leaving my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
"Gamora?"
The girl takes her attention off the newly dark horizon, realizing that Peter had stopped his swing and was now standing next to her with an extended hand. He hasn't requested to do this in a while-dance. In fact, the last time he had requested, was the only time he had requested, and resulted in him getting slapped. However, she's known him for two months. She knows him enough to know that he won't force her to do anything that makes her uncomfortable. Sure, sometimes he'll try to talk her into things, but he would never force her to do them. Which is why she gave in.
Peter pulls her off the swing, glancing as it squeaks lightly and slowly halts to a stop. He places her hand on his shoulder, before placing his own, lightly on her waist. The fingers from his freehand intertwine with hers. The begin to sway to the rhythm of the song, gazing into each other's eyes.
I don't care who you are, where you're from
What you did, as long as you love me
Who you are, where you're from
What you did, as long as you love me
"Hey." Peter whispers with his signature crooked smile. "So, you know that dance Nat has been going on about?"
Gamora raises her eyebrows. "You mean the one she's been trying to get us to go to, together?"
"Uh-"
"Peter, I'm not stupid. I know Nat has been trying to set us up since we met." She glares, but somewhat softly, at him.
"Yeah...I'm sorry about that."
Gamora's glare fades away, a look of curiosity in its place. "What about it?"
"Well, I was thinking-"
"That we should go along with Nat's little plan?"
"No! I mean...not like that. I was just thinking it'd be fun?" When Gamora doesn't respond right away, Peter continues to ramble on, "Um, if you don't want to-"
The Zen-Whoberian tightens her grip on him and pulls him closer to her. "I'd love to, Peter."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You are my-what do you call it-best friend, after all." She gives him a playful smile.
The boy returns the gesture as they continue to dance. He tries something new and possibly dangerous, pressing a soft kiss to her hairline. It isn't long until she responds, laying her head against his chest.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 4/?
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Thor (Marvel), Groot & Rocket Raccoon, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker & Peter Quill, Shuri & T'Challa (Marvel), Peter Parker & Shuri, Gamora & Shuri, Nakia (Black Panther)/T'Challa, Okoye & T'Challa (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Christine Palmer/Stephen Strange
Characters: Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora (Marvel), Groot (Marvel), Ronan the Accuser, Guardians of the Galaxy Team, Taneleer Tivan, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, Lincoln Campbell, Nakia (Black Panther), Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Quill, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Michelle Jones, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Ned Leeds, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Shuri (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel), Okoye (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Stephen Strange, Christine Palmer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, SHIELD, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Past Relationship(s), Long-Term Relationship(s), Unrequited Love, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Friends to Lovers, Peter Plays Football, Peter's in Choir, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Lincoln Campbell Lives, Gwen Stacy Lives, Slow Burn, First Kiss, Best Friends, Teen Years, School Dances, Talent Shows, Hidden Talents, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Freeform, Gamora Loves Music, Gamora Can Sing, Gamora-centric, Peter-centric, SHIELD Academy, Tony Being Tony, Gamora & Shuri (Friendship), Gamora & Natasha Romanov (Friendship), Meme Lord Shuri (Marvel), Gamora Doesn't Understand, Peter Quill Needs a Hug, Gamora needs a hug, Platonic Kissing, Forehead Kisses, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Cute, Gamora Opens Up, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov Friendship
Summary:
High School AU: She wanted freedom. He wanted to be loved. They both wanted to escape their abusive father figures.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 3/?
Fandom: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Thor (Marvel), Groot & Rocket Raccoon, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker & Peter Quill, Shuri & T'Challa (Marvel), Peter Parker & Shuri, Gamora & Shuri, Nakia (Black Panther)/T'Challa, Okoye & T'Challa (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff/Vision, Christine Palmer/Stephen Strange
Characters: Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora (Marvel), Groot (Marvel), Ronan the Accuser, Guardians of the Galaxy Team, Taneleer Tivan, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse, Lincoln Campbell, Nakia (Black Panther), Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Skye | Daisy Johnson, Peter Quill, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Michelle Jones, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Ned Leeds, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Shuri (Marvel), T'Challa (Marvel), Okoye (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Stephen Strange, Christine Palmer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, SHIELD, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Past Relationship(s), Long-Term Relationship(s), Unrequited Love, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Idiots in Love, Dorks in Love, Friends to Lovers, Peter Plays Football, Peter's in Choir, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Lincoln Campbell Lives, Gwen Stacy Lives, Slow Burn, First Kiss, Best Friends, Teen Years, School Dances, Talent Shows, Hidden Talents, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Freeform, Gamora Loves Music, Gamora Can Sing, Gamora-centric, Peter-centric, SHIELD Academy, Tony Being Tony, Gamora & Shuri (Friendship), Gamora & Natasha Romanov (Friendship), Meme Lord Shuri (Marvel), Gamora Doesn't Understand, Peter Quill Needs a Hug, Gamora needs a hug, Platonic Kissing, Forehead Kisses, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Cute, Gamora Opens Up, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov Friendship
Summary:
High School AU: She wanted freedom. He wanted to be loved. They both wanted to escape their abusive father figures.
