"Heads up! We're inbound!"
My eyes slowly open up to our location. Rocket took over flying the Milano, so there's been nothing else to do other than rest my eyes a little.
Blotches of color surround what looks like a giant head in the distance. Fascinating... Peter climbs the ladder to the cockpit to see our whereabouts. "Woah," he whispers. "Woah, indeed. That looks cool. Kinda freaky, but cool," I mumble to him. "What is it?" Drax asks the question that's sitting in all of our minds.
"It's called Knowhere," Gamora explains as the Milano moves towards the head. "The severed head of an ancient celestial being. Be wary headed in, rodent. There are no regulations whatsoever here." "Sounds like our type of place," Peter quips, placing his hand on my shoulder.
As soon as I turn my head to him, he pulls his hand away and acts as if nothing happened.
We fly through the eye socket and are greeted by many pods zooming past us, each carrying something that seems important.
----
The six of us walk through the crowded street, following Gamora. "Why would anyone live at this dump?" I complain as I squeeze by a group of people who have stopped in the middle of the walkway to have a conversation. "Watch it!" one hisses behind me. Honestly, other people have places to go!
Gamora continues to walk forward and gives us a brief history of Knowhere. "Hundreds of years ago, the Tivan Group sent workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull. Bone, brain tissue, spinal fluid. All rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy. Suitable only for outlaws."
"Well, Y/N and I come from a planet of outlaws," Peter brags. "Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, John Stamos..." "Oh yeah, John Stamos, the most dangerous one out there," I add, chuckling softly.
"It sounds like a place which I would like to visit," Drax says. "Yeah, you should," Peter agrees. My heart aches at the thought of going back home. Maybe Dad's out of prison, maybe he's still locked up. I don't really want to find out the hard way.
Before I can have any more internal monologue, a bunch of kids run up to us with their empty hands cupped. "Excuse me," one says. "Can you spare any units?" I shake my head and back away.
Out of the corner of my eye, Groot's hand goes out to a little girl. In the palm of his hand, sprouts a flower. He picks it off and hands it to her. A warm smile grows on my face. I don't say a word, though. "Get out of here." Peter shoos away the rest of the kids so that we can move forward.
We finally reach what looks like a nightclub of some sort. Pounding music and colorful lights give it away. "Your buyer's in there?" questions Rocket. "We are to wait here for his representative," Gamora tells us. A bouncer shoves someone out of the front door, shouting for them to get out. "This is no respectable establishment," Drax points out. "What do you expect us to do while we wait?" As we walk inside, I simply say, "Drink, dance, place bets you'll regret, everything. Have fun."
"Alright, then." Drax nods to me and splits off from the rest of the group. "Eh, what the hell?" Rocket shrugs, following him. Groot, as always, tags along with Rocket. Gamora veers off and finds a table to sit down at. My eyes are locked on an open balcony that has an amazing view of the stars. Like a moth to a flame, I march towards the light.
----
All of the colors remind me of old times. When Peter and I were learning how to fly a ship, we zipped through so many cosmos that it looked like we were flying in a rainbow. I lean on the railing, mesmerized as if I were a little kid again.
"Man, you won't believe what they charge for fuel out here. We might actually lose money on this job," Peter says, joining my side. "Well, Gamora seems to know what she's doing. She must know this buyer pretty well," I say, continuing to stare into the stars. I can't help but smile at the magical sight. "Remember when we'd always look at the stars? God, we were so young. It was so much fun, not having a care in the world." "Yeah. That was so long ago, but I remember it so clearly."
"You always look so gorgeous when you smile like that," he murmurs to me. My smile widens, bashfulness taking over. "Well, I'm just... happy. That you made it out in one piece with your Walkman. That's all." He nods, looking down at the device his mother gifted him a long time ago.
"Well, you know how important it is to me." He clicks it on, and I can faintly hear a song that I hold close to my heart. Fooled Around And Fell In Love. His green eyes lock on my E/C eyes. "I just hope you know how- how important... you are to me," he whispers.
My cheeks warm up like never before. Maybe it's my eyes playing tricks on me, but I see a tint of pink shade his face. He unhooks the headphones from his neck and gently places them over my ears. Now I can hear the song perfectly. "Wanna dance? To... the song?" He holds out his hand hesitantly.
I nod my head, taking his hand in my own. They're perfectly warm to the touch. He places his other hand on my waist as he brings both of our hands close to him. I can feel his tender heartbeat against my hand. "I didn't care how much they cried, no sir," I softly sing along. "Their tears left me as cold as stone. But then I fooled around and fell in love, I fooled around and fell in love. I fooled around-" I come to a stop once I'm aware of his eyes on me. How they admire me so adoringly. My face, my body, everything. "What?" I nervously giggle "Nothing, nothing... It's just- You know, I... I've always just..." he begins, but can't find his words. Shaking his head, he just continues to dance with me like nothing is happening. "Nevermind."
That's when I suddenly become aware of how close we really are to each other. The only thing keeping our lips from touching is ourselves. This is my chance...
Okay, Y/N. You can do this. You just gotta... Well... Oh my god. I have no idea how to do this. It can't be that hard, right? Just go for it.
Three...
Two...
He comes to a slow stop.
One...
I tilt my head slightly to the side and...
"Quill! L/N!" Gamora's urgent voice bursts through our moment. In a quick second, the two of us unhand each other.
Damn it! Why can't we just kiss?! One time is all I want! What have I done to deserve this emotional roller coaster?
"What is it?" I question, shakily taking off the headphones. "I need you both. Those idiots are fighting," she explains. "I can't stop them." I peer at the window, which shows me exactly what she's talking about. Drax tackles Groot on a table, bellowing loudly as crowds watch. "Shit." I hand Peter his headphones and run inside.
"Y/N, wait!"
This is bullshit... It's as if the universe wants me to be miserable. But I can't let out my emotions. I can't! I have to be strong. At this moment, my feelings aren't important.
The crowd of people forms a circle, cheering as of this was a sport. So stupid. So fucking stupid! I shove my way inside, yelling, "Out of my way! Move! Move it!"
I make my way through just in time to see Drax on top of Groot as his branches wrap around his face. Rocket picks up a huge gun and begins to load it up.
I pry Drax from Groot's thin branches and place myself in front of him. "What the hell are you doing?! Stop it! Now!" I scream over the shouting of the crowd. Drax tries to march towards Rocket, rage burning in his eyes. I push him backward, once again telling him off. "STOP IT, DAMN IT! I MEAN IT!"
"Woah, WOAH! What are you doing?!" Peter shouts at Rocket, getting in between him and Drax. "This vermin speaks of affairs he knows nothing about!" Drax accuses. "That is true!" Rocket spits. "He has no respect!!" "That is also true!!!"
"Hold on, hold on!" Peter says. Groot stands up, rubbing his jaw as Rocket taunts, "Keep calling me vermin, tough guy! You just wanna laugh at me like everyone else!"
"Rocket, you're drunk. Alright, no one's laughing at you," Peter assures. Considering what everyone has been calling Rocket instead of his name; animal, rodent, vermin, beast... Peter's not very convincing.
"He thinks I'm some stupid thing, he does!" Rocket insists. "Well, I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to get torn apart and put back together over and over and turn into some..." He sniffles, pausing for a brief moment. His eyes are glassy with tears, but he doesn't let them fall down his furry face. "...Some little monster!"
"Rocket, no one's calling you a monster," Peter tells him. "He called me 'vermin'! She called me 'rodent'!" Rocket yells, pointing to Gamora and Drax.
"Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots to your frickin face!" Peter steps directly in front of Rocket as he points the gun back toward Drax. "Wait- No, no, no, no! Four BILLION units! ROCKET!" hollers Peter. "Come on man, hey! Suck it up for one more lousy night, and you're rich."
Rocket pauses, taking a few breaths. The six of us are still and silent. For a moment, I think he's going to go through with his murder. But instead, he groans, "Fine. But I can't promise when this is all over I'm not gonna kill every last one of you jerks."
"See, that's exactly why none of you have any friends!" Peter says, looking towards the four of them. "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," Drax fumes, shaking my hands off of him. "Drax!" Peter calls out. "Let him go. We don't need him," Gamora sighs.
A door slides open, revealing a dark pink-skinned woman in pigtails. Her hands are clasped together like she's in a church choir. "Milady Gamora," she says. "I'm here to fetch you for my master."
Master? I thought the buyer's representative was coming, not his pet. Eh, I've seen worse kinks being displayed out in public... Still, the buyer owns her?
She gives a bow, motioning us to come with her.