Just Like Your Father

"I know I can be a bit of a child, or, you know, a jerk, but I swear I can be mature." spoke Gary. Quinn wrapped her hand around his human hand, squeezing gently.

"I've seen some change though, Gary. Every since your sentence ended, you've been a bit different." Quinn let out a small sigh, looking up at the ceiling. The two were seated at the table in the lounge area, and their ship was traveling to the rift.
"Well, I've seen some...stuff." He looked at the table. "I watched people die. And they were people I loved."

"That will definitely do it." she spoke.

"What about you Quinn? Where are you from? What about your life?" asked Gary. Quinn looked down at him and he raised an eyebrow. She noticed no one else was around but Gary. Of course, Hue could probably hear her but she did not mind.
"I was an Infinity Guard." she replied.

"Well yeah, but I mean before that, you know, before I met you."
"I...I was born in Chicago. I had my mother and my father, and they're still doing alright. I hope they are anyway. I worry every night about them, and I constantly pray they evacuated Earth before it was destroyed. But, I also have my three siblings, one sister and two brothers. I was the oldest child. I had great grades, worked volunteer work around the city. My siblings were nothing like me. Well, my sister was in a way. She was a hard worker and always put forth extra effort. I soon realized I wanted to make a difference in the world. And the only way to do that on a large scale was to join the Infinity Guard. Well, news was that the famous captain John Goodspeed had just...passed away." She bit her lip. Looking over at Gary, she hesitated to move on. But his curious glare made her continue.

"He was a hero to the planet, and a hero to me. To know that there were people out there as brave as he was made everyone feel safer. My whole life I wanted to be someone that people looked up to, that people felt safe around. I moved to New York City since that was the biggest Infinity Guard base. Leaving my family behind was tough, but it's what had to be done. Then, I met you...five years ago. And then just a few weeks ago I learned that the Infinity Guard is nothing but a fake. They are evil, and we've been putting our trust into the enemy. It was all a lie...."

"Yeah the Infinity Guard was always full of assholes.." Gary chuckled.
"Do you know?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, Quinn I tried the Guard. I was Goodspeed's son after all, and people looked at me like I was special. And I thought maybe I could have been, but I wasn't. I couldn't do the training, I couldn't follow the orders, I couldn't fall into their trap. I could sense something was wrong with them from the very beginning. The pressure was too much for me, and I just didn't want to take it anymore. The other cadets laughed at me, teased me, told me I was nothing like my father. I grew tired of it.." he sighed.

Quinn watched him trace his finger around the table, trying to distract himself from his emotions.

"Hey, you're more like your father than you think." she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"No I'm not."

"Are you kidding me? I hardly have ever seen you actually scared. I mean sure, I've seen you a little scared but you mostly run into danger without thinking. You put others before yourself. You took in Mooncake and protected him, you helped save Lil Cato and helped Avocato find him. When you heard my distress call you came for me in a heartbeat. No matter what the odds are you always take the chance because you know fighting and dying is better than dying and not fighting at all. Your father was a brave and heroic man. You might not be the exact same as him but you have most of the same characteristics. Gary, I've seen now that you're willing to keep us all safe, even if it means getting yourself killed. That's what your father did. So, who cares what those other members said? You're you and that's what matters." she finished.

Suddenly, Gary gave Quinn a soft hug. She hugged back gently, ruffling his hair with her hand.
"Thank you Quinn, I needed to hear that." he smiled warmly.
"Of course, we all need a little help here and there." she smiled.

"Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"You're pretty amazing too." 

"Heh, thanks Gary.." she sighed happily.

The two sat there in silent embrace, awaiting the battle that the Galaxy One raced forward to.