I just like his cool backpack made to hold his big guns on his back. That middle gem works like a magnet for the guns. Wonder if the backpack also works like a power bank to recharge the guns.
A light laughter rang throughout the Milano's halls. Phoenix was seated by the bubble window while Finnick told her little jokes and stories.
The two were stationed in the hull of the ship in the glass area, somewhere in the ship a soft 80s tune was floating through the air.
“How'd you meet Cinna?” Phoenix questioned “Not to be pushy or anything-”
Finnick grinned, “You’re fine, I had been trapped in some, lets just call it shady business, till Cinna showed up and helped me out of there. Now we’re trying to help others escape whatever situation they might be trapped in.”
“Wow, that's really great.” Phoenix nodded. Rubbing her hands down her legs as if she were dusting off dirt.
“What about you,” he began, “How’d you end up with this group?”
“Well, you know. Abducted by aliens when I was a kid. It's like a free pass to join. Basic sad story starter.” Phoenix snorted dryly.
Finick chuckled, “Yeah, I understand what you mean.”
The conversation fizzled out but the silence wasn’t awkward, but more so pleasant. A song Phoenix was unfamiliar with played quietly in the background creating a comforting ambiance.
A cough interrupted the moment. Phoenix’s head swiveled to see Peter standing behind the two arms crossed, staring at the pair with a pointed look on his face.
Finnick turned slowly to look at the leather-clad man. “Do you need something?”
“The location we're meeting your boss at, so we can drop you off and get paid.”
Phoenix's mood dipped at that. She had genuinely enjoyed talking to this man and Quill's attitude did not seem necessary.
Finnick's smile turned to a smirk "Yeah, I'll be right there-"
"That's great, We need it now so let's go." A tone of sarcasm dripping from his words. The room was feeling stuffy with the testosterone flooding it as these two grown, but childish, men continued their stare down.
Finnick chuckled as he stood. “Alright Starboy.” He looked back to Phoenix, offering her his hand and helping her to her feet.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Phoenix felt her face flare, ducking her head with a small smile on her lips. Without a second look back, Finnick walked out of the room with a flourish, leaving Phoenix and Quill in the hull of the spaceship.
“What an a-hole. Am I right?” Quill scoffed and leaned against the doorframe, “He knows it's Starlord.”
“I think you should give him a chance.” Phoenix countered a bit frostily, to which Quill didn't seem to take well. His annoyance at Phoenix not taking his side was obvious.
Instead of staying and listening to the insecure man diss Finnick any longer, she made her way to the door.
“Excuse me.” she muttered as she slipped past the leather clad man and out of the room.
Running her hand along the cool metal of the hallways, her fingers bumped over countless pipelines and dents. She hummed as she bounced through the halls while following muffled voices to the cockpit.
The atmosphere was relaxed, Rocket was in the pilot chair with Nebula sitting across the aisle from him. Mantis was talking to Finnick right next to a snoring Drax while Groot and Thor were nowhere to be seen.
“Must be in their rooms.” Phoenix thought. As she softly walked through the main area.
Nebula glanced up at Phoenix as the Terran made her way to the front seats.
“Hey,” Phoenix attempted to be friendly, holding out her hand “Nebula, right?”
The cybernetic woman watched Phoenix's hand suspiciously, so the Terran pulled it back and left it awkwardly at her side. With a voice far deeper than Phoenix was expecting, she responded “Yes and you are his child thing.”
Phoenix paused, caught off guard. “Something like that. I'm Phoenix.”
“I know.”
With that Nebula stood and stiffly strutted away. Leaving Phoenix quite confused, she floundered for a few seconds before Rocket took any notice and supplied Phoenix with an explanation.
“Nah, she doesn't hate you. She's just selective with who she's nice to, like I said, a real charmer.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Phoenix deadpanned to which Rocket rolled his eyes and motioned to the now empty seat next to him.
Phoenix sat promptly and gave herself a moment to enjoy how the chair slightly bounced as she placed all of her weight on it.
“Whaddya think of pretty boy, huh?”
She was amused at the nickname but kept her voice down,
“Seems nice. Told me about how he met that guy from the bar and what they do. He's got some attitude, not as much as your friend. Quill was being quite unprofessional actually.”
Rocket guffawed “Don't worry about him, he's got issues just like the rest of the galaxy but he forgets he's not the only one, like an idiot.”
Phoenix grinned at this, Rocket's little rants of insulting people had been engraved in her memory for as long as she could remember.
“So, kiddo, what does he do then?”
Phoenix could bet Rocket was going to make fun of her answer as soon as she finished talking. “He helps people escape difficult situations, gang activity, stuff like that.”
“Eh, so he's a hero? Bleh, imagine not getting paid for doing hard work.” Rocket jeered only slightly joking.
“Hey! I used to do stuff and not get paid.” Phoenix countered, glancing behind her where Finnick was listening to Mantis talk animatedly about something intense.
“Well, youre different, kid.” he spoke softly but gruffly, before turning his attention back to flipping switches and flying the ship.
Turning to the windshield, Phoenix let her posture lax in her seat and pulled her legs up in a criss-cross. Resting her head back, the engine’s rumbles and the soft conversation behind her acting as a white noise while she rested her eyes.
……….
Phoenix was in the middle of a great dream, or at least she assumed it was, when she was awoken by a conversation to her right and promptly forgot about the subject of her dream. Her head still felt heavy and her mind felt groggy. Keeping her eyes closed Phoenix tried to catch what words were being exchanged, unfortunately her exhaustion was definitely winning the battle for consciousness.
“Dude, she's in my seat.”
“Deal with it, she's sleeping and she was here first, Quill.” Rocket snapped, “Leave her alone. Go talk to Mantis or play your music while you wait.”
There was a moment of silence before a heavy sigh and the annoyed voice spoke quite a bit louder than a whisper
“If it was Pretty boy over there you'd have no problem with her being picked up. And furthermore, it's my ship. Mine.”
Rocket chuckled dryly “Well, anyone is better than you, Quill.”
Phoenix didn't hear the rest of the conversation and nor would she remember it later when she would be shaken awake by Groot, who was talking a million miles a minute. She wouldn't remember when saying goodbye to Finnick and Cinna and wishing them good luck on their missions. She wouldn't remember when Rocket took her hand and guided her up the ramp to Mantis and Nebula's shared room 'to really get settled in.' he had explained while giving her a tour. She wouldn't remember Rocket's harsh words to the Terran man until later that evening as she was brushing her teeth.
Her hand paused mid-brush, as she looked at the mirror but not truly staring at herself.
“Anyone is better than you, Quill.”
Almost no other thoughts were going through her head, only those words and the thought of what could be if her and Quill ever happened.
Phoenix knew he was an attractive man, but that doesn't mean she had to be attracted to him. She was past that stage in her life. 'but he's confident, he's a human and has a great taste in music even if it's oldies and god he's handsome-' her mind countered unhelpfully.
A rapid knock on the door snapped her out of her thinking. Spitting the toothpaste down the sink and rinsing her mouth out she called to the door
“Just a minute-”
The knocks halted as she dried her face and hands. Quickly making her way to the door, she unlocked it and came face to face with a toned, but very shirtless, chest.
Her eyes widened and Phoenix's usual confidence was replaced by a stuttering mess. It felt like an eternity before she realized she was staring at his pecs and her gaze flitted everywhere else but still came back to the man in front of her. “Oh, sorry…”
Quill grinned and crossed his arms, he was obviously enjoying Phoenix's discomfort.
“No harm done, although, I'd have to say a picture would definitely last longer-”
Phoenix felt her ears and cheeks burn, she had been caught. “Right. Um- Good night.”
She quickly squeezed past Quill and scuffled down the hall. Mantis and Nebula were already sleeping and the room was dark so with as little noise as possible, Phoenix crawled into the cot Rocket had set up for her.
When she closed her eyes, instead of falling right into sleep, her and Quill's interaction decided to replay itself. With a groan, she flipped over to face the wall. Fortunately the hum of the engines soothed her to sleep and Phoenix was soon lightly snoring.
