Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Chapter 25

No, he'd tell her eventually. And everyone else, for that matter. He just needed to find some time to talk things through with Fallon—preferably away from any prying ears—and then he could settle things out.

But until then, maybe he could find a little something to calm Nebula's nerves.

"We can have Mantis check them out." He'd hoped the offer might make her stop, at least to discuss what it could mean for them, but all he was answered with was the firm sound of footsteps on the metal floor. "Maybe? No? Whatever..."

He'd still have them checked over. Not Gamora, of course, but...

Peter sighed and shook his head as he turned to head back towards the common room. Wha had he gotten himself into?

...

Be nice, Peter had said. Just try to keep up a smile and get the job done.

The smiling part was no problem for Mantis. Living with Ego had taught her how to fake the expression easily enough. But the "be nice" and "get the job done" parts were a little more difficult.

"Hi."

There was a beat of hesitation before Adam replied, "Hello."

"My name is Mantis." He probably already knew that, but maybe he didn't, and then he'd feel stupid. "I'm only smiling at you because Peter said I have to be nice. If he hadn't said that, I would look at you like this."

She dropped her smile, eyes narrowing to her best glare as she bared her teeth. Adam just watched her, seemingly unsure how to react.

"That's...very mean."

Mantis quickly dropped the foul expression as a proud smile bloomed on her lips. "Thank you." She paused, realizing her mistake. "I mean, no thank you. I don't want your thanks."

She took his silence as a win, and a sign to push ahead with her work. She could understand why Peter wanted their new companions to be emotionally checked, but she didn't see why those checks had to be conducted in her personal cabin, or why such speculation didn't extend to Gamora. Who cared if she was a Gamora? She wasn't their Gamora.

Well, Peter cared, apparently. He cared a lot. And Mantis hated that almost as much as she hated the man sitting in front of her.

But not as much, of course. This man had wrecked her home, threatened her family, and almost killed Cosmo. As long as she had to focus on him, Peter's stupid feelings were somewhat forgettable.

"Okay." Mantis dropped her smile as she reached out to grab hold of Adam's hand. "Let's just get this done and—"

She paused when he jerked away from her touch, and Mantis narrowed her eyes again. Of course, he just had to be difficult.

"Just give me your stupid hand!" She reached out with more force this time, snatching his hand away from his chest and keeping a tight grip on it. "You don't have to—"

She froze, her mouth going dry as her skin began to crawl with a flurry of terrible sensations. It felt as if a thousand different hands were drifting across her body, some delivering feather-light touches while others pinched and pressed and pulled. But it didn't matter what they did. Every touch was unbidden, unwanted, and unbearable. It made her want to curl in on herself, to draw away and find a place where nobody could reach her ever again.

Mantis wasn't sure what happened first—her letting go of his hand or Adam ripping it out of her grasp. Either way, the feeling disappeared the moment the contact was gone, but the memory of it lingered, leaving Mantis to draw in a few deep breaths as she struggled to collect herself.