"and who is this?" ego smiled at cassandra, and she sheepishly gave a thin-lipped smile back. "that's my daughter, her name's cassandra." peter answered with a shrug.
"oh my goodness," a grin slowly made it's way across ego's face. "i have a granddaughter! i'm a grandpa!" he came forward and wrapped his arms around cassandra's shoulders, and she looked over his shoulder at her dad and mouthed what do i do?
just hug him back peter mouthed, gesturing his arms in a hug motion. cassandra hesitated- but forced herself to wrap an arm around his back, and ego laughed happily. "this is wonderful! you are gorgeous!" he grinned at cassandra, cupping her face in his hands. cassandra grinned awkwardly, weirded out by the over-the-top physical contact. "thanks?" she sheepishly giggled.
"oh, peter, she is gorgeous! is she terran?"
"uhm, terran and xandarian."
"and where is her mother?" ego asked softly, still gazing at cassandra's face as cassandra awkwardly tried to find anywhere else to look. peter hesitated to answer. "well, i have no idea where she is now, but.."
"ah, difficult situation. i get it." ego nodded, slowly pulling his hands away and resting his hands on his hips, gazing gently at cassandra.
a grin, which looked prideful, slowly spread across his face. "i am so happy to see that i am not alone." he spoke softly.
"hmm?" cassandra hummed curiously, suddenly pulled out of her awkward whirlwind of thoughts.
"you will understand soon enough, if you are anything like me and your father, cassandra quill."
-
"i hired yondu to pick you up when your mother passed away. but instead of returning you, yondu kept you. i have no clue as to why." ego spoke softly, looking amongst the guardians, who were sitting around the fire. cassandra chewed on the inside of her cheek, staring at the fire, even though it just made her eyes hurt, there was nowhere else to look except for the sparks emerging from the fire.
"well, i'll tell you why. because i was a skinny little kid who could squeeze into places adults couldn't. it made it easier for thievin'." peter spoke, hands rested on his knees.
"well, i've been trying to track you down ever since." ego spoke, gazing at his son.
"i thought yondu was your father." drax spoke under his breath.
"what?" peter and cassandra spoke simultaneously, both pulled out of their thoughts and looking over at drax with confused looks. "all this time we've been together, and you thought yondu was my biological father?" peter looked over at drax.
"you look exactly alike." drax shrugged.
rocket suddenly laughed boisterously. "one's blue!"
"no, he's not my father! yondu was the guy who abducted me, kicked the crap out of me so i could learn to fight, and kept me in terror by threatening to eat me!" peter quickly spat out, and cassandra felt like something was being dropped onto her shoulders, because while, yes, yondu said and did all of those things, cassandra felt there was a part of yondu that was good. or atleast decent. a part of yondu that both peter and cassandra had seen before, cassandra more often, being the favorite and also the only girl that ever lived on the ravagers ship so.. naturally she was treated like a princess. not that she would ever brag about it.
she totally would.
"eat you?" ego's eyes widened.
"yeah."
"that son of a bitch." ego huffed. "well, this one here, my granddaughter, may i ask about her?" ego's hand rested on cassandra's, and she pressed her lips together and shrugged timidly. more physical contact. peter nodded slowly and sat up before clearing his throat and talking. "yeah, sure.. she's my daughter, cassandra meredith quill-"
"meredith. your mother's name. how sweet."
"yeah.. her momma was a xandarian girl, and i've been raising her by myself since she was born because.. well, her momma left. to be honest." peter murmured the last part to himself, but the rest could still hear him.
"well, i'm sure that if her momma could see her today," ego pat his hand onto cassandra's shoulder. "she'd regret ever leaving." cassandra smiled softly. "eh.. i've been just fine."
"i can see that. you did a good job, peter. i can tell."
peter smiled and nodded slowly. "well, how'd you locate us now?" gamora asked, sitting up.
"well, even where i reside, out past the edge of what's known.. we've heard tell about the man they call star-lord." peter chuckled and glanced over at cassandra, because star-lord did land. "what say we head out there right now? your associates and daughter are welcome. even that triangle-faced monkey there. i promise you.. it's unlike any other place you've ever seen. and there.. i can explain your very special heritage. finally get to be the father i've always wanted to be. the grandfather i could have been." rocket slowly reached up and touched his face at triangle-faced monkey.
"dad, can we keep her?" cassandra pouted at peter, and she gestured over to mantis, who was smiling softly and staring off. ".. that's a living being, cassandra."
"still.."
peter sighed and fondly pushed cassandra, and she laughed and grabbed herself before she would fall. ego got up with a soft laugh and walked towards a tree to 'whiz', and peter used it as his opportunity to turn and look at gamora. "i'm not buying it."
"let's take a walk. cassandra, stay with rocket." gamora looked back at cassandra as she stood up, gesturing for peter to stand with him.
"okay."
"and.. don't do anything drax does."
"oh, i know that."
mantis smiled at drax and cassandra. "i'm mantis."
".. what are you doing?"
"smiling. i hear it is the thing to do to make people like you." mantis grinned sweetly at cassandra and drax.
"not if you do it like that." mantis's face faltered slightly.
cassandra swatted drax's arm with a huff. "i think it's nice!"
"oh.." mantis frowned softly before folding her hands together."i was raised alone on ego's planet. i do not understand the intricacies of social interaction.." she looked around at the group, and she looked down at rocket, who wasnt paying attention to her. "can i pet your puppy? it is adorable."
cassandra looked up at drax, giving him a warning glare. "don't you dare."
drax stifled a loud laugh, and he nodded happily. "yes! go ahead!"
"oh my god, drax. that's so mean."
mantis reached forward to pet rocket eagerly, which made rocket growled loudly at her, making her jump back with a startled scream. drax laughed boisterously, and cassandra sighed before tucking her face in her hands. "i am so sorry."
"that is a called a practical joke!"
"no! that was just mean!" cassandra argued, voice muffled by her hands that were covering her face, which was flushed with embarrassment.
"i liked it very much!" mantis laughed loudly, and cassandra's nose scrunched.
god, these two are perfect for eachother. idiotic chaos. she thought to herself.
-
"what was that story you once told me about zardu hasselfrau?"
"..what?.. wait, do you mean david hasselhoff?" peter looked at gamora with slightly furrowed brows.
"yes, him. he owned a magic boat?"
"not a magic boat. a talking car."
"why did he talk, again?"
"to help him fight crime.. and to be supportive." peter was starting to realize how dumb a talking car sounded.
"as a child, you would carry his picture in your pocket.. and you would tell all the other children.. that he was your father, but that he was out of town."
"yeah, shooting knight rider or touring with his band in germany- i told you that while i was drunk. why are you bringing that up now?"
"i love that story."
"i hate that story! it's so sad!" gamora sighed and walked away as he continued. "as a kid, i used to see all the other kids off playing catch with their dad. and i wanted that, more than anything in the world! that's why i hate that cassandra doesn't have a mom! because you can see it! when she sees a mom and her kid.. she gets this look on her face, and i know she says she doesn't need a mom, but.. i think she wants one, and i know how that feels! and it sucks! and i feel awful whenever i think about it because she.. she doesn't deserve that. she deserves a mom or.. i don't know.. a stable childhood. i actually thought about moving her onto terra a few times but.. yondu threatened to eat me so.. but still. i always wanted her to be able to have that, that nice childhood." peter's voice gradually grew quiet, until it was just a muttered, melancholy breath.
".. peter." gamora reached forward, grabbing peters hands in hers, squeezing his hands gently and surprisingly comfortingly. ".. you're an incredible father. i wish i had one like you when i was growing up."
".. well, your dad was thanos. so.. but still.. someone who's a good dad would probably look at me and go.. wow, he sucks." peter sighed softly.
"no." gamora shook her head. "no, you're doing great. you're like her david hasselhoff."
"well, david was on tour all the time-"
"well, sure, exactly. you're here. you love her more than i thought was really capable. you buy her gifts and you raise her and you teach her and you love her. that's more than most people could even dream of." gamora spoke earnestly, gently squeezing his hands in an attempt to comfort him.
peter's once thoughtful expression softened. "thanks. that actually helped."
".. have you told her yet?"
peter knew what that meant. he knew that the question was going to come up eventually and he knew that eventually he would have to face it again. he kind of wished it wasn't so soon.
"no." he muttered his response.
"peter, it can't be that hard to do. she doesn't even know her mom's name."
".. true.. but-"
"she never even met her! it's hard to miss something you never had." she squeezed his hands tightly, probably not even realizing, but peter barely reacted.
"y'know, i think that statement is bullshit, because i never had a dad.. and i still missed having one."
gamora sighed. "peter, i didn't even bring you out here to talk about this, i brought you out here to tell you to give this ego guy a chance."
peter didn't respond, instead he just gazed at their hands, which were still subconsciously intertwined, and gamora squeezed his hand once more with a heavy exhale before pulling her hand away.
"this guy could be your hasselhoff. and if he's evil, we'll just kill him." gamora promised, looking up at peter with a soft genuineness that could convince peter to pull the stars out of the sky for her, if she wished, so he inhaled softly, and he tentatively smiled at her.
".. okay."
ஓ๑♡๑ஓ
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 ; 1305
tysm for reading! any interaction/ appreciation is appreciated!! <3