Original Request: May I request namor x surface dweller reader when reader declines his proposal? Not because she doesn’t want to be married to him, but because she couldn’t be in the ocean with him and it would hurt her too much to be away from him for so long?
Pairing: Namor x surface-dweller!Reader
Word Count: 1,094
Warnings: Sad and heart-wrenching moments
A/N: Hey nonnie! I hope you like this one-shot, I am truly sorry it took this long, I had to study for my final exam and it’s been a stressful few weeks! I changed the storyline a bit and made the reader Wakandan (the last time I promise, guys) I hope you don’t mind. Anyway, enjoy, tell me what you guys think!!
Translations:
Teech ts'o'ok in echado u menos: I have missed you so much
Dawn broke over the sky as the sun chased away the leaden clouds. I looked beyond the water to the city of gold of Birnin Zana that had been built over hundreds of years ago. Under the sunshine, the city rose like a blinding beacon and it reminded everyone of the home to the most technologically advanced nation of the world. I closed my eyes and all I could hear was the beating of my heart and the murmuring of the sea waves kindling their own hypnotic symphony. Though, I had been much too anxious to admire the beauty of the sea and the skies that crowned over it.
‘What happens now?’ I pondered to myself.
Mother would curse my name at the Gods if she were to realize that I had fallen involuntarily in love with the man that was a threat to our people and the city. Countless have been the times where I examined my heart and searched deep within myself and I was more certain in my decision that he was the man I loved. Forever.
All the sudden, I feel the cool sea waves crash against my feet, sending chills down my spine. I open my eyes and notice a dark figure emerging from under the waves. I could not help it as my lips wreathed in a smile, knowing it was him. I ran towards Namor and he laughed as he swept me into his arms and inhaled the scent of my perfume, my hair and the cold morning air on my skin.
“Teech ts'o'ok in echado u menos,” he whispered gently in my ear in his native tongue. His soothing voice tantalizing every cell of my being. I flushed under his gaze and reach my arms out taking his face into my palms, his beard slightly tickling my fingers.
“I’ve missed you too, K'ukulkan.”
A soft chuckle escapes from Namor. “It sounds nicer coming from the lips of the woman I love than all the soldiers and generals that are in my command.”
I giggled at his words and pressed my lips against his. The smell of his skin, the feel of his strong arms around my torso brought tears to my eyes as I felt a deep longing to be with him, and I wondered whether he thought the same as me when he had to return to Talocan. These differences between the Wakandans and Talokanil always made my ire rose, especially since we could very well put our differences aside and learn to become powerful allies instead of bearing such hatred for one another. It’s what aaba would have wanted and possibly our ancestors too. To live in harmony, just as Namor and I had chosen to do so.
“(Y/N),” Namor spoke, a smile touching his lips. “Do you recall when we first met and I had shared the story of the Spanish man with you, who cursed me with the nickname, el niño sin amor.”
“The child without love,” I whisper, sighing heavily. “It is where you took your name from.”
“Yes,” Namor replied. “Because I had no love for the surface world.”
I look at him, puzzled at his reasoning for telling me this story as I had already been familiar with it. Namor reached his hand to my face, and gently wiped the tears from my eyes.“You calm the storm in my heart, in yakunaj,” Namor continued, “You are the peace that I have not been able to find in a very long time.”
He takes my hands into his and all the sudden, my hear begins to race in my chest as he is gazing up at me...in a kneeling position.
Namor paused momentarily before saying, “The Spanish man’s curse has broken when I laid my eyes upon you. The only surface dweller I have come to love and I want to hold your hand as we walk through eternity together. Will you marry me, (Y/N)? Will you rule Talocan alongside of me as my Queen?”
I stood in front of the man I loved and my hands began to tremble at his proposal. I felt the hems of my dress tickle my ankles as the cool breeze blew. I sighed and gazed at the beauty yet mysterious vastness of the ocean while I tried to make sense of Namor’s words but nothing could escape my lips.
Though his words struck me, I knew I would not be able to live in Talocan as I had grown very fond of my own quiet world in Wakanda whereas Namor’s world never stopped. My lips quivered as thoughts of living under the enormity of the ocean roamed my mind.
“H-how?” I finally ask, looking back into his mysterious eyes.
“When I return to Talocan, all I can think about is you. When I am supposed to be thinking of important matters regarding my people and my kingdom, all I can think of is how you want to be hidden away from the rest of the world. (Y/N),” he said passionately, “I want you by my side as the soulmate that I have been searching for for all these centuries.”
I wanted to close my eyes and step into the shelter of his embrace, but for some odd reason my legs wouldn’t budge.
“In ch'ujuk, I do not doubt your love for me, I have never.” I say, smiling sadly, and as the next words came out of my lips, I almost felt his heart breaking into a million pieces before me. “I...cannot live in Talocan and I promise this is not because I do not have love for you. I just cannot abandon my Mother in such a way and I am not prepared in my heart to take upon such an incredible task. I know nothing of ruling a kingdom, especially one that is underwater. I feel that I am unfit.”
Namor sighs and as he stands, he looks beyond the sea where the sun reflected upon the sparkling waves.
He turns his attention back to me and wraps his muscular arms around my waist, bringing me closer to him. “I understand your worries, in yakunaj. Just know in your heart that my old soul will always belong to you, and whenever you are ready, it matters not when, I am willing to wait and so is Talocan.”
“Do you promise?” I whisper.
Namor chuckled and softly kissed my forehead. “If you promise to keep my heart then I promise to leave it with you.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Requested my anonymous as a featured one-shot and inspired by real life events surrounding myself.
Summery: After Rocket suffers an injury that leaves him incapable of his usual work, he is treated to some special attention from his favorite Star-Dork while recuperating away with his thoughts. Fluffy Ending.
Word Count: 1,927
Notes: I might write a second chapter soon if this is well received or people ask me for it, we’ll see how it goes.
It was painful at first, this tightness in his lower joint when Rocket laid in the large bed shared by two, his leg propped up on a pillow and bored out of his mind staring at the ceiling.
Today marked it having been a week since the incident, him breaking his right leg and leaving the raccoon bedridden in what could’ve only been described as one of the dumbest things he’d ever done to himself.
Everyone has tales of how they got their scars or other injuries throughout the years and some might’ve even bragged about it as a testament to their times fighting across the galaxy but this was a bit different here, one that Rocket found more humiliating then anything.
The Guardians were heading back to their ship after a rather unique job that involved retrieving a stolen gem from an underground organization that had been taken from the faraway planet of Berhert.
Having been a great victory and the first time they had some money to enjoy themselves after repossessing the artifact for the Nova Corp, they had all decided on a night of celebration.
However fate had another plan In mind and with the five of them walking down the path towards the ship’s bay where the Quadrant had been left in their absence when in would could’ve only been described as the dumbest thing to befall someone, Rocket stepped into a burrow created by an Orloni and broke his leg in the process.
The small rat-like creature’s home in the ground became what would result in him being left in this state, having to realize how much he couldn’t do now that his ability to walk had been ripped out from under his feet.
There wasn’t much he really could do, still working on whatever trinkets and gadgets he could in his lap through the pain medication to keep his mind off the matter of his leg wrapped in a cast.
He wasn’t confined to the captain’s bedroom so much but to the whole ship and wherever he could get around on the homemade crutches made for him by Groot, the ship itself feeling more claustrophobic with the passing time as his depression and irritability fluxed.
Rocket’s wasn’t unknown to pain having dealt with the extremities of it and having his joints taken apart, reinserted or replaced with the internal cybernetics that made him what he was here today. That was all the more reason why it took a lot of negotiating to convince him to see a doctor after it happened, not believing it was broken to begin with and as usual with most things told everyone he was fine despite having an obvious limp in his side.
With nobody believing it Gamora decided to check herself and she barely got the chance to graze his injured leg when the pain spiked through the roof and within a moment’s notice, Rocket had sunk his teeth into her arm tending at it.
It wasn’t a voluntary action when he did and his bite didn’t go deeper than the surface of the skin since it was more of a warning of someone scared and in pain, it didn’t matter here because Gamora would’ve beaten him down into a slump if it wasn’t for the current situation and how his drooped face looked apologetic for his actions.
Now whether that saddened puppy face given was because Rocket’s fear of the wrath that awaited him for attacking Gamora like he did or he truly felt bad at the sight of her bleeding arm were two different things but it would’ve right to assume it had been a bit of both.
The bedroom door slid open with a gleeful voice announcing itself, none of than the Star-Lord checking in. “Hey Rocket, how you doing?”
“I’m hot, I’m cold, and my leg itches in places I can’t reach….” Rocket looked over as the man approached his bedside. “You tell me?”
Peter frowned at his words. “I know, I hate that this happened.” He suspected his fiancé wasn’t going to be in the best mood today and he didn’t blame him for being a bit more tempered than usual.
“Heh,” Rocket laughed, though it was half hearted at best. “what do you got to be upset about?” I’m the one laid up with all the free time in the world and bored outta my damn mind here."
“I know, it’s just whenever something happens around here I feel- I don’t know….responsible for it because I’m the captain and it hurts me to see you like this.”
“Pete you know I’m fine looking after myself and it ain’t ur’ fault for me twisting my leg in some dirt hole, I’m the one that’s going to have to live with that embarrassing story for the rest of my life.” That time he did laugh afterwards for them both. Rocket would’ve much rather have been shot again as painful as that was then having to explain why he was bandaged up like this over something so little.
“So speaking of which, how is the leg?” Peter nodded at the lower part of the raccoon’s body.
Rocket lifted his head to look at the white plastered cast. “Eh, pain ain’t too bad. Those pills you’re giving me are helping with all that but that isn’t even the worst of it.”
“Really?” Peter leaned down over the cast, feeling around it with a soft touch since he knew it was still healing.
“Yeah. the worst part is how I’m cooped up in this place, it sucks how I can’t go nowhere till’ this thing comes off.”
“Well we’ve got another six weeks or so to go of this.”
Rocket rolled his eyes for none to see with Quill sitting down by his feet on the bed. “Thanks for the reminder...”
It was strange as it always felt like prison and if it was it’d been the first one he wasn’t escaping out of it, not that he really wanted to either.
With all the injuries Rocket had been through before, when the doctor told him he wouldn’t be walking for over a month the raccoon only laughed it off to his face not believing a word of it. The truth hit him hard after the first few days into the ordeal since it was then he realized how dependent he had become of the others, a personal stab at his dignity when the simplest of tasks were done for him.
So with that mind Rocket had his good and bad days, not with the pain itself but emotionally handling this change in his life.
“How does it feel around here?” Peter coursed his hands around the top of the raccoon’s leg where the cast ended.
Rocket yawned, a crack in his voice when doing so that Peter wouldn’t have ever admitted sounded adorable staring at all those pearly teeth for a moment. “Not bad, just a little sore there.”
“Well….” Peter kneeled down alongside the bed, now being more eye level with his partner with a raised ear at attention. “I might be able to help out a little with that.”
“Wait, what are you going to-“ Rocket stopped when Peter started massaging his leg, rubbing along the joint above the fracture where it didn’t hurt so much. He was still careful when his fingers dug in between his partner’s fur and kneaded his attention to help with some of the stiffness in his leg from not walking much.
Peter wasn’t a professional per-say but he liked to think he knew enough in his years to help his aching fiance here with the pain, having done it a couple of times when Rocket wasn’t feeling his sharpest or pulled something while on a job.
He was a good guy like that with Rocket, giving massages here and there since he knew the shy Procyon didn’t know how to ask for them without sounding weird about it, none of the others really knew about that little thing they shared.
It was just another something that started one night after a long mission and neither of them really spoke of it much, Rocket didn’t know why it made him feel better sometimes having Quill’s hands rubbing all over him but it did and he enjoyed it.
Rocket groaned, it was long and mellowed but it wasn’t a sound of discomfort as he indulged in the attention. “You’re a real pal sometimes.”
“Hey well I’m an awesome guy alright,” Peter teased him with a smile. “who wants to make sure his even more awesome best bud doesn’t have a bad time with this whole thing. Gotta’ keep you in high spirits until we make it through this right?”
“That’s your words and optimism loser, I’m just getting tired of sleeping all the time and not being out there.” Rocket said, all he wanted to really do was go back out there and get his hands dirty.
Peter sighed, glancing over at Rocket from his place. “I know but it’s what you’ve got to do to get better.”
Rocket knew that, as much as he hated to admit it to himself here but his mind was plagued with thoughts of what was becoming of their ship and things that needed to be done but couldn’t be done now that he was like this.
After a minute of silence Peter stood back up to his feet on the floor in the bedroom. “So how was that?”
“Miles better, thanks boo.” Rocket replied, the earlier cramp in his leg gone after Peter’s fingers did their magic on him. It still hurt some down there but it wasn’t as tight like earlier when Quill first came in.
Peter smiled and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on the spot where he’d been massaging during their conversation.
Rocket smirked at him for doing that. “You’re weird Quill, what was that there for?”
“Back when I was young my mother would always kiss any scraps and bruises I’d get, like when I’d scrap my head or that time I broke my arm while tree climbing in our backyard.” Peter walked over and climbed in the bed with him, taking off his cloths except for his boxers and nestled himself next to Rocket while he continued. “She’d always tell me how that’d make them better but I never knew if they did, I think it was more about how it made me feel like it had something to do with and….”
He fell short of the proper words he wanted to say, it was just something he remembered from his childhood and times with his mother back home. Maybe it was dumb but he liked to keep her memory alive by doing the little things she always did for him growing up when Rocket reached over with an eased paw on his chest.
“It’s ok, kinda’ sweet you had someone around to do stuff for you like that huh?” Rocket was confused at first but was touched by the story behind the gesture and the sweetness of warmth given with it.
“Yeah…” Peter kissed Rocket above his right eye, a soft peck on his fur before they both shared another kiss, the meeting of lips against his own from Rocket’s warm muzzle that evolved into him cupping the raccoon’s head with a single hand across his cheek in their laid back place in the bed.
“And now you’ve got someone around here to give you that feeling when you need it too.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Requested by anonymous as a featured one-shot and featuring the likeness of @taikothecat as a guest character.
Summery: During what was supposed to be a normal breakfast, Rocket is once again duped by his fiancés continuous pranks. Growing tired of being on the receiving end of these petty gags he goes out of his way to plan some sweet revenge on the Star-Lord that he'll remember for weeks to come after this, with some inside help of course.
Word Count: 5,343
It was just another day in the galaxy within the early hours of morning. Now of course there wasn’t a normal cycle like you’d expect but there was a schedule everyone would try to fix themselves to for the coming days, some of the crew aboard the Quadrant still asleep in the wee hours of waking up early at seven’ in the morning.
As his normal routine schedule played out Rocket would always get another hour or so of shut eye after his partner would be up and about for the day ahead, usually attracted out of his makeshift blanket fort in the bed shared by two by the smells of pancakes and other scrumptious delicacies he’d never known before joining the Guardians.
For years alone with Groot trying to make ends meet as a bounty hunter, the raccoon would always be living off protein bars. They were easy to transport when living on the run and didn’t break his bank since his other option was rummaging through the trash for scraps.
They didn’t taste great but he managed and didn’t care, they were all he knew of when it came to feeding himself. These days he couldn’t stomach them since the bars tasted like cardboard compared to the simple pleasures he’d indulge in almost every morning, guess you could say he was pretty happy and easy to please.
The raccoon was curled up in the bed, always shifting his body into this little ball under the beige covers with nothing but his nose sticking outside to be seen. He’d always shift his sleeping position throughout the night with the warm inviting body beside him, sometimes clung to it like a child to their favorite stuffed animal during the late hours but his favorite pose was to be held by those arms from his lover.
For the most part he still hated being touched, prodded, or anything else involving his personal space but he was better about affection from others after he learned it didn’t have to be bad.
One night during their first week sleeping together Quill absently while dreaming wrapped his arm around the raccoon. Rocket’s first instinct was he was he was in danger, his small body tensing and the rational side of his mind telling him he needed to get out of there.
His tired copper-colored eyes darted around the dark bedroom nestled under the blankets and like a deer in headlights, he was completely frozen in place and unsure of what to do right there.
He’s never done anything to hurt me, so why am I afraid? if I wanted him to stop I could just say so right?
Rocket had never been given a single reason to be scared of the Star-Lord in their history together. Your average betting man would’ve known if he didn’t like what was being done right here, being cuddled with a loose arm, he could’ve easily gotten away from it and left everything there where it stood.
But he didn’t, he liked it that way...
That night he learned two important things, the first one was that touched and comforted like this was something he secretly always wanted but never knew how to ask for.
Secondly if this was going to become a routine thing for them, Peter needed to get himself some better soap or Rocket was going to take over the bedroom and kick him out into the hallway.
Rocket’s nose twitched under the thick covers when he woke up to the familiar scents of pancakes being served with his favorite marmalade, yawning with a high drag and crawling out from the sloppy mess of the large bed and onto the floor.
His feet clicked across the metal floor, the raccoon wearing some casual cloths consisting a grey shirt and black shorts he had tossed on when entering the hallway being further drawn in by the scents of pancakes and other side dishes to come.
When rounding the corner into the common room he heard a couple mixed laughs among the crew talking amongst themselves, still not having noticed him walking in yet until he yawned again catching the attention of them all with his presence. Everyone aside from Gamora and Kraglin were there for breakfast, the other two off still in slumber for the early morning today.
“Morning, Rock’.” A voice greeted him from the room’s worn out couch, the body laying on it with a single knuckle resting under his chin watching everyone go about their business and occasionally throwing in a few chats with them.
Rocket tensed up from hearing the voice, part of wished it was still waking up and misheard it coming from within his reach. The first thing to catch his eye after noticing Quill over in the ship’s kitchen still in his blue pajamas and preparing a delicious banquet for the group was their guest sprawled out like a stereotypical feline would he was sitting here among the group.
Rocket turned his head to where it came from and sure enough, the guy was still here today, his face tensing up slightly. “Go home Taiko…”
“Rocket?” Peter voiced over to him from the stovetop, the man’s informal tone sounding almost parental telling him to behave.
“Well good morning to you too, grouchy head.” Their feline guest peeped back to the raccoon, sounding even more enthused if his grinning face wasn’t already a give-away.
In a short answer Taiko was a humanoid calico cat and a guest staying with the Guardians for the time being, the black and white spotted feline had a similar skeletal structure to Rocket’s but weirdly enough without the need for cybernetics or any other enhancements.
His overall character was much more upbeat compared to the ringtail he’d often playfully tease when around him noting here that in some instances Taiko was a polar opposite with his behavior.
Rocket paused where he stood before he spoke up lowly to the cat idly staring back at him. “Look, about last night-“
“Last night? Last night was a blast…” The cat replied back to him, those eyes watching Drax as the muscular man walked back into the room not paying much attention to their conversation.
Rocket was cautious with his words mentioning the discreet topic he was talking about since nobody besides his fiance knew about their new trials as a couple, having an undisclosed third partner in the action as something they both agreed to have for the week.
That image of them all was the last thing he wanted any of their friends knowing was going on aboard the ship beyond the next room.
It was Quill’s idea first and foremost and it all was about trying new things to keep his and Rocket’s relationship together exciting, though maybe having a threesome with another guy in the basket was a mistake looking back but there was a first for everything with him.
“Yeah, ya’ can knock it with the jokes…” The groggy ringtail turned away still unsure of the whole thing. Anytime you introduce someone new into the fold there’s bound to be questions asked, many of them that couldn’t be answered without spilling the whole picture to everyone.
Rocket climbed up the steel counter and reached up to one of the cabinets containing his fruit spread, standing on his toes to grab the circular glass jar containing the marmalade and trotting back over to the table already set up.
He never asked for help with anything because yes almost everything in the ship wasn’t accustomed for his stature but he still held quite the ego when it came down to what he was physically capable of doing.
Unless on rare instances like when he was injured, Rocket would often feel insulted if something out of his reach was handed to him as if he couldn’t retrieve it himself without assistance. Instead Peter among some of the others in the group would leave things within his reach, which he always appreciated of them.
“Coming in hot, who’s hungry?” Peter announced putting dishes down for every seat at the table, a couple stacks of flapjacks on each plate with a side of vyloo eggs, which the man claimed had a sweet aftertaste compared to what he grew up on at home with but nobody else would’ve known to compare.
Everyone was busy eating and casually chatting while Rocket was fiddling with his marmalade jar, trying to get the damn thing open after he could’ve sworn it’d been popped already.
“Ok, I’ve got a good one for you.” Peter took a drink of his coffee, trying to recall the events of last night when him and Rocket were having their usual date of shared drinks. “So we went out last night and Rocket over there tries to wave down the tender to get our drinks. Only thing was that the guy serving everyone was this old guy, grey haired and wearing an eyepatch over his left side and he didn’t hear us so we were getting tired of waiting around…”
The small crowd at the table was listening onto the words while Rocket still continued to struggle with the tightly sealed jar, cursing the item a few times as the man went on with the joke.
“So anyway, Rocket climbed on the countertop after that and yelled at the server from the top of his lungs…‘ay’ does a guy gotta wait till’ his friggin’ bar mitzvah to get a drink around here?”
Peter took another bite of the flapjacks, thinking he’d done a pretty good job on them today. “After that the bartender looked over at him from across the room and with the most serious face I’ve ever seen, asked Rocket how old he was.”
“I loved that story very much.” Mantis chirped, though it was questionable if she understood everything. She wasn’t dumb but there were certainly things that’d fly right over her head at times.
“Good joke, Quill.” Rocket muttered sarcastically while everyone else laughed off the story, it sounded like something that would’ve happened. “Guy was being a real dick holding back like he did.”
“I still thought it funny how he backhanded you like that.” Peter laughed thinking about it. In all seriousness he wanted to believe the elderly man in his seventies serving them their drinks was that sly, maybe he wasn’t but it was funny to think so.
“I did not know you were one of holding beliefs such as that.” Drax stated when he looked down at his furred companion in the seat next to him at the table. “I am interested in knowing more…”
“I don’t have any beliefs ok?!” Rocket retorted to the comment.
“Hey if he does it’s fine.” Taiko had to give his two cents across the table finishing a glass of milk, knowing already Rocket wasn’t into that stuff or believed in it but he liked teasing him nonetheless. “We can have a party right here, though we might be a little old for that sort of thing yeah?”
“Can you people just shut up?! I haven’t even had my coffee yet and everyone’s on my ass already.” Rocket pointed his ears back to all of them ganging up on him.
Drax looked down at the jar, the raccoon still fiddling with it for the past couple minutes be nobody bothered to say anything. “I think our friend here is feeling insecure…”
“Drax you’re going to feeling something too if ya’ don’t shut that trap of yours on the topic, I ain’t like that.” Rocket argued back to which the muscular brute didn’t answer and continued staring at the glass.
“Do you require assistance opening that?”
“No Drax I don’t, I can open my own jar of fruit so thanks.” Rocket didn’t look him in the eyes telling him so, he’d never had this much trouble opening it before. It was as if someone deliberately tampered with it beforehand without his knowledge.
“Got it!!” The raccoon exclaimed when the jar clicked and he was finally able to slide it open, hoping to get some food in him. His excitement was short lived however, the mashed fruity contents bubbling up from the exposed air within a matter of seconds.
“What the-“ He slowly gawked peering into the container when the homemade concoction overlapped and exploded in his face with all the sticky and sweet residue.
“What the flarg’ was in that?!” He hollered aloud at everyone, hearing someone giggle while he was trying to wipe the sticky residue off himself to little avail with his hands.
“Got you again Rocky’, that’s two in a row.” Peter told him, unable to hold back his laughter any longer from being known as the one responsible for this.
“I’m going to kill you Pete, you know how hard it is to get this stuff out of ma’ fur?! Thought that was a ground rule?”
“I thought we agreed that rule wasn’t in play anymore.” Peter grinned widely leaning back in his seat, taking another tally for himself.
This little game between the couple was an ongoing thing and it came to the point these days it was like a competition between teenagers, seeing who could prank the other the most and there never was a truce because the moment it’d be called someone who hit the other again.
The only rules of the prank war were that you couldn’t physically hurt the other or at least not too bad, tamper with that person’s gear on a job since it could very well end badly for them and finally there was always a grace period during mealtimes for them both.
Simple enough rules to follow but it seemed the Star-Lord had either forgotten or disregarded that last one when compromising the raccoon’s fruit preserves right here.
“You’re an asshole.” Rocket told the man, his brows lowered and expression seethed when hopping out of his chair at the table, the raccoon stalking his way into the cockpit.
“Ah come on, it wasn’t that bad….Rocket-“
“I can’t hear ya’ I’m already gone, enjoy staring at my backside.” Rocket hollered aloud climbing up the stairs into the helm. “Hope ya’ll enjoy the rest of breakfast.”
“Rocket- “ The metal door into the cockpit slid shut leaving them out as Peter tried to talk to him, knowing if it was a real hinged door it would’ve been slammed for them all to hear downstairs.
“Shit…” Peter breathed with a sigh, looking at everyone’s reactions around the table. “Was it really that bad?”
“I Am Groot.” The teenage tree shrugged at him, still not understood by the bunch around him but his body language was uncertain.
“I believe you gave the mammal a false hope…” Drax noted from his table, having already finished his food before everyone else had.
Peter cocked his head at the brute’s words. “What’s that supposed to mean, you saying I did something wrong?”
“Yes.” Drax told him as bluntly as he always would, looking up at the man resting his palms on the table. “In this game you both play, there are rules and from I have learned watching so-called this game is you broke one of those rules here at our meal here.”
“On my planet, we would hold ceremonies for the coming of age for our children to be tested in ritual combat, to know who’d eventually become the next Destroyer. It was seen as disgraceful to attack an opponent after the fight was over, when that person had lost.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Peter lowered his head at the table before lifting back up to the face the brute. “He’s done way worse to me with his schemes right?”
“I mean- I’ve only known you folks for a month but isn’t the point of the game to do exactly just that?” Taiko concerned with a raised fork making his point, a mouthful of spongy hotcake gargling his speech.
“May I ask who this other mammal is again, he is shaped like our furred friend but is different...” Drax leaned across the table, his arms crossed when the cat’s emerald colored eyes darted up to the brute’s nose hovering over him from his plate. “He smells different too.”
“Please don’t do that-“ Taiko paused looking up the brute.
“He’s an exchange student Drax.” Peter couldn’t believe that was the first thing he thought of, it sounded so stereotypical to say but maybe Drax wouldn’t understand and thus wouldn’t question it. ”The guy’s been tagging around with us to get some experience from the best advisers those people can give him.”
“Very well…” Drax sat back down in his seat, the man breathing a sigh after feeling like he dodged a bullet with nobody still knowing. “I do not know what he expects to learn from you though?”
“I’ve been learning plenty, from him and Rocket.” Taiko chucked finishing up his plate and pushing it to the side.
“Yeah…” Peter mumbled looking not talking much either, partly because he did feel like he went a little overboard in that Rocket didn’t even get to eat before storming off in a heap.
“Hey Taiko?” Peter called out to the cat about to stroll off from the table with an outreached hand. “You mind talking to Rocket, maybe get him to come down and eat something?”
“Yeah sure thing.” Taiko replied turning on his heel and walking the short distance up the stairs into the cockpit.
“Asshole…” Rocket was in his pilot’s seat looking over the galaxy, his orange ball in hand and tossing in against the ship’s windshield.
cur-clink
cur-clink
He was beyond pissed, still pissed at Quill for being the stupid idiot he was sometimes just like when they met back all those nights ago.
I mean- I know I’m crazy but he’s supposed to be better then that.
I’m so friggin’ hungry right now, damn it Quill.
His tension on the stress ball tightened, a few holes from his claws in the worn-out object he’d been given for these situations chucking it off the glass for his waiting hand to catch again.
cur-clink
cur-clink
Before he could toss the ball again his ears perked to the sound of someone knocking on the locked door from behind, the raccoon leaning his head past his seat to the noise and clicking his teeth.
“Who is it?” He raised his voice to the whoever it might’ve been.
“It’s me, I wanted to talk to you.” Taiko stared at the metal wall for a few seconds, a tense pressure he wasn’t sure he was meant to carry but would still give his best shot. Fingers were crossed that Rocket liked him in their short time together to even let him through the doorway.
The locked door buzzed and swooshed open, the cat quickly making his way inside when it closed behind him. He noticed Rocket was down the few steps leading to the helm in his usual seat, his backside facing before the chair swiveled to face the cat.
“Let me guess, you’re supposed to be the negotiation party that wants me back down there?” Rocket looked at him as the cat walked up beside him in the quiet cockpit.
“I just wanted to check in, that’s all.” He meant it staring out the window with the ringtail but wondered if Rocket would believe it.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to go?” Rocket questioned him with a raised eyebrow, the cat turning his own head to his attention. “Or are you just out of the bag and into the bunch with the rest of us?”
“Well my ship still isn’t fixed.” Taiko replied, leaning an arm on the pilot’s seat. “I’ve been trying to see about that.”
“Don’t tell me that’s the excuse ur’ going with right?” Rocket cracked a smile at him, catching that there wasn’t much truth in it. “I could’ve fixed it right up and sent your hide off and away from here.”
His dimple grew further into a smirk looking at the cat leaning over him on the chair. “Don’t tell me you stick around and put up with all this just to check in on little ol’ me up here all day?”
“Ah come on…” Taiko nudged him playfully with a small jab. “yeah I like everyone else but I’ve got favorites, those I like more then others around here too.”
“You know what?” Rocket reached under the ship's dashboard for a brown box containing his usual bunch of trinkets and gadgets he’d mess with when up here for long periods of time. “Since you want ta’ stick around so badly, maybe it’s about time you help me out with something on Quill.”
“Ok…what do you need?” From the look on Rocket’s cunning face and the atmosphere of the room, the cat couldn’t help but be hesitant since he didn’t know what he was agreeing to here with the raccoon.
“Someone here tainted my shampoo, shouldn’t need to remind you what I looked like when you came here.” He didn’t want to go in detail on that when meeting Taiko for the first time, the conversation turning into one of those awkward introductions where the infuriated pink trash panda was scrubbing for days after his shampoo was filled with pink hair dye as a prank.
“Anyway, I don’t got any doubt it was Quill, guy couldn’t keep from snickering whenever my back was to him so I thought I’d do the same.” He pulled a small homemade device wrapped in black tape that could be hidden in the palm of his hand, giving it to Taiko to take.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Taiko curiously looked over the crude device. Whatever it was, it didn’t look very impressive compared to everything else he’d seen made by the raccoon’s hands.
There was a short black fuse tied in and it smelled of fresh gunpowder, it’s appearance looking more like a small makeshift firecracker if he knew any better.
“That’s a dye bomb.” Rocket said, still holding the orange ball in his lap when continuing. “Never made one before but thought it’d be kind of funny ya’ know, for what’s I’ve got planned for him?”
“So…what do you want me to do with this?”
“How about you shove it up somewhere for starters for asking that.” Rocket swished his mouth and his ear twitched for a moment. “I’m joking....”
“Next time he’s in the john, go ahead and toss that thingy in there with him in there. Think it’s about time he’s get his fair share of color, idiot should be grateful I didn’t choose a worse color then pink.”
Taiko nodded in response. “You share what you get right?”
“Dang right I do.” Rocket replied, sounding enthused with this plan of his he had put together over the last couple days. “It’s part of eh- what’s that thing called again? Personal growth yeah, that’s it!! I’m going to be the best future hubby for this one.”
“Ok I’ll do it on one condition.” Taiko couldn’t help but have this idea of why the raccoon had these type products around the ship it wasn’t for him personally to use. “If you tell me why someone like you would have hair products and dye just sitting around here.”
Rocket stared blankly at the cat for his words. “Dun’ know what you’re implying, I just told you it’s for-“
“You know what I’m talking about Rocket, the ride might be cheap for but it’s not free and you know that.” He hoped bartering like this would get an answer either it be with booze, a favor, or anything else he learned was the only way to get a confession from the raccoon.
Rocket growled lowly before lowering himself in the seat. “Fine, I was thinking of dying my tail purple a while back, is that what you wanted ta’ hear from me? Now get out of here…”
“That’s rich.” Taiko laughed it up, not in a mocking manner but he couldn’t imagine getting himself dyed ever crossed Rocket’s mind. It sounded so offbeat for someone of his character to care much about his appearance. “You should let me do it sometime, I’ve done it to myself before so you’d get a good job back there.”
“You ain’t gonna be doing much of nothin’ if you don’t get out of here and handle that thing first.” Rocket tried to sound threatening but it fell on deaf ears to the humored cat, nothing but hot air coming from the raccoon's muzzle.
Taiko chuckled at him, him and Quill were certainly one of the craziest couples he’d ever seen but it was sweet how those two guys would reconcile over these pranks. Sibling rivalry at its finest.
“Anyway imma’ go take a shower in the meantime, I feel gamey right now and it’s making me sick.” The raccoon huffed from his slouched position in the seat, picking a piece of black hair off himself.
“So I guess I’ll get to it…” Taiko tossed the device in the air, catching it back in his palm when leaving the cockpit before turning back. “Hey I’ve been meaning to ask you where you get those awesome jumpsuits made, do you have a personal tailor for those things or what?”
“Why do you ask?”
“No particular reason, just when I tried it on last night I loved how it felt on me.” He grinned widely when Rocket crooked his head over the chair, his face frozen there. “I might get one for myself in green.”
“You tried on my suit?!”
“Yep and I’ve got to say, I think I wear it better then you do.” Taiko winked at him flirtatiously and strolled out of there before the other could properly respond to his comment.
So while Rocket was off washing himself down Taiko was tasked with delivering the package to its rightful place but needed to wait until it was a good time. The cat decided to go back to go back to his earlier place on the common room’s couch and wait, lazily sprawled and looking over a few things on his own holo-tablet.
He was wondering why Rocket didn’t just go ahead and do this himself but the truth was he didn’t need too and he wanted to see if Taiko would actually go through with this request of his.
It wasn’t too long before he was approached by the Star-Lord strolling through the ship, his face looking rather mixed of guilt.
“Hey Taiko…” Peter gestured with a waved hand when walking by, the man kneeling down to speak to at the cat’s level. “How’d your talk with Rocket go up there?”
“It went fine, a bit crabby but yeah.” Taiko said passively. He didn’t want it sounding like things went exceptionally well or anything, even that was in question still but he didn’t want to ramble too much out of fear of what he might say here.
Peter nodded. “That’s good. So where’d he head off too, I went into the cockpit earlier and he wasn’t in there anymore.”
“Think he said he was going to take a shower or something, maybe that’ll help him cool off from happened…”
“Yeah.” Peter rubbed a hand over his chin with a drag. “Can’t help but feel like I was a bit of a dick back there right, like more than twelve’ percent and the usual bit.”
“It happens and yeah you were kind of a dick to him.” Taiko typed in a few things on the tablet and scrolled across a few pictures. “He’ll be fine though, just needs to chill in his own time."
“Well when you see him again can you let him know I wanted to talk? Maybe I need to make him something to eat since that’s my fault too...”
“Yeah sure, I’ll tell him…” Taiko perked to which Peter smiled and walked off to his own things again to attend too, the cat watching his backside like a hawk with those green eyes from afar.
Meanwhile away in the captain’s room away from everyone, Rocket was showering and getting all the sticky jam and grime of yesterday out of his fur under the steamy water, reaching for his usual shampoo and lathering it everywhere he could reach.
“Duh duh duh, da da. Duh duh duh, da da.” He hoped nobody could hear him through the thick walls when singing along to an old tune he’d heard before once, a timeless classic he had fallen for and would argued he had the swagger to pull off if he wanted too.
Part of his mind, the really cynical part that is, was snickering at whatever awaited his partner when he’d be finishing up here. Somewhere deep down he felt kind of bad about doing this because it was that the cute kind of romance with them where’d he’d sometimes do something outlandish and act like he didn’t care if it hurt them when that couldn’t been have been further from the truth.
He trusted Taiko, well as much as anyone you’d trust enough bedding together with someone else but it went further than just that, it was always going to be awkward because his commitment wasn’t to this new guy and it was repressing when they were alone.
Still when thinking about it, maybe when everything settled and the nightly adventures under the stars shared y three stopped here or later there’d still be a place for Taiko around here.
It didn’t mean they’d stop being a thing but just maybe something a bit of themselves for here on out, their own special thing that didn’t have to result in just being here for each other’s pleasure and company.
It was complicated when he rested his head under the rushing water, letting it drown him out into his thoughts. They’d taken in so many people over the past and came across many more in their adventures of helping those abroad and far, most coming and going without a second glance but something stuck out with that spotted feline back there.
It’s something Rocket never believed he’d be having to think about, something with how this tugged at his heart in a way that was sweet and endearing to have around. It wasn’t even about sexual tension, just how he felt here about going forward.
I still can’t believe that hairball’ was in my clothes.
Eventually the man did come back into the hallways, his footsteps heard across the grated floor as the cat listened with a raised ear to a metal door being opened and closed again when captain entered it.
Being very subtle, he crawled off the couch and slinked to the corner of the room that lead into the ships corridor and sure enough, he was in the bathroom and right where this needed to take place.
“Ok well here goes nothing…” Taiko breathed seeing there was nobody around to see what he was doing when, striking the small fuse and opening the bathroom door just enough to chuck the explosive into the room with the man sitting on the toilet.
“Hey Taiko.” Rocket came down the hallway with a white towel wrapped around his waist, his fur still damp and spiked in places on his head with water from his shower, his feet clicking when walking by the cat standing outside the bathroom “You get that thing taken care of we talked about?”
“Just one second alright…” Taiko raised his hand to the raccoon.
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One…”
With that the tiny explosive went off, covering the entire bathroom and the Star-Lord in a flurry of bright pink dye that’s be in his hair for the weeks to come.
“OH MY GOD- WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS CRAP?!”
“ROCKET!!”
“And see…” Rocket grinned holding back his laughter, leaning over Taiko’s shoulder and whispering into his ear. “that’s why I like ya’.”
