"you all right, son? i saw your girl stomp off a little earlier in quite a huff." ego asked softly, entering peter's room. peter looked up at his dad, and he slowly sat up and adjusted himself onto his elbows."yeah." he sighed. he glanced down at his walkman, playing brandy, which is one of his favorites. nostalgic and sweet, it reminds him of his mother, of sitting with her in their backyard, laying beside one another, talking about nothing and everything. peter does it with his daughter alot, sitting with her in the ship, listening to music, talking about nothing and everything all at the same time. about their lives, the color of cassandra's shirt, everything and nothing."it's fortuitous.. you listening to this song." ego gestured to the walkman.
"you know brandy?" peter's brows raised.
"by looking glass? of course." he chuckled. "a favorite of your mother's."
"yeah, it was."
"one of earth's greatest musical compositions. perhaps its very greatest." ego chuckled, and peter perked excitedly. "yes!" he laughed softly, sitting up."peter, you and i, we're the sailor in that song." ego started. peter's brows furrowed slightly.
"he came on a summer's day. bringing gifts from far away. like the baby i put in your mother.. or the freedom you brought gamora.. brandy, you're a fine girl.
what a good wife you would be.
my life, my love.
my lady is the sea.
the sea calls the sailor back.
he loves the girl, but that's not his place.
the sea calls upon him as history calls upon great men.. and sometimes we are deprived the pleasures of mortals, peter."
"well, you may not he mortal, but me.." peter trailed off.
"no, peter.. death will remain a stranger to both of us.. as long as the light burns within the planet."
"i'm immortal?"
"yes."
"what about.. what about cass?" peter slowly asked.
"her too, peter. actually, speaking of her, i spoke with her earlier. she ran off on me, for some weird reason, but-"
"well, she's just been off lately. alot is happening.. but she's usually alot more lively."
"i get it, i do. i spoke with her earlier, though, and she's like us.. peter, you should've seen it. she made an orchid, a flower! life! she made life! i should show you it, it's still there."
peter grinned slowly, pridefully. "she did?"
"yeah, your daughters smart, peter. she catches on quickly." his voice lowered, knowing she would catch on too quickly, like she had done earlier. she realized something was wrong too soon.
"i know she does. i'm so proud of her." peter whispered."am i.. really immortal?"
"yes! as long as the light exists!" ego gestured to the ground, and he laughed."and.. i can use the light to make cool things. like how you made this planet!?" peter sat up excitedly.
"well, it might take you a few million years or.. well, your daughter made an orchid in a few minutes so yeah! just start small and you will be like me in no time!"
"what!? get ready for an eight-hundred-foot statue of pac-man with skeletor.. and heather locklear!" peter laughed, standing to his feet. "you can do anything you want." ego chuckled.
"i am gonna make some weird shit.. and knowing cass, there's gonna be a big ass garden somewhere." peter laughed.
"well, if she wants a garden, she can make one! hell, she's already started!"
"that's amazing. she really made a flower?"
"yep." ego laughed. "but you know, peter, it is a tremendous responsibility. only we can remake the universe. only we can take the bridle of the cosmos.. and lead it to where it needs to go."
"..how?"
ego slowly lit the tips of his fingers, and he pressed them all together. peter stared at ego's fingers, and ego chuckled and led peter out the room, oblivious to mantis breathing heavily and listening in.
"i'm too late.." she whispered to herself, before running off and towards drax's room.
-
drax huffed and rolled to his side. "do you really need to be in my room?" he asked cassandra, who was pacing anxiously around the room. "yeah, mantis told me to be here. sorry, sorry, i'm just.. where the fuck is she!?" she huffed, digging her foot into drax's mattress.
"i am trying to sleep, cassandra." drax mumbled, digging his face into the pillow. "he killed all those children, drax!" cassandra whisper-shouted. "doesn't that freak you out!?"
"people kill people all the time-"
"children, drax! and i have powers, drax!" cassandra shook drax's shoulders, and drax sighed and sat up, leaning on his elbows and readjusting himself.
"show me." drax sat up, watching as cassandra sighed and crawled on the bed next to him. she pulled his hand and grabbed it, wrapping her hand around drax's. drax watched as cassandra shut her eyes, and she focused as she gripped drax's hand. an energy slowly formed in drax's hand, and drax's eyes widened slightly. "what are you doing to me?"
"oh god, am i hurting you!?" the energy disappeared, and she sharply exhaled in defeat."no, i'm not hurt.. will it hurt?" he asked, brows raised.
"no, it shouldn't." cassandra shook her head."then do it again." drax reached his hand out, and cassandra laid her hand in his again, squeezing it and concentrating until the energy slowly reformed in their hands, and cassandra's eyes fluttered open as she grew the energy. she scooped it out of drax's hand and placed it in her own, and she shut her eyes gently and relaxed, slowly rubbing the energy together until it turned into a tall, violet orchid, with flowers standing tall. she handed it to drax, and he hummed amusedly. "thats quite neat."
"i mean, yeah, but it's also kinda scary." cassandra shrugged, scrunching her knees up to her chest. drax placed the orchid behind his ear, and he laid back down on his side. "can i lay down now?" he asked, even though he was already laying down. cassandra sighed and laid down next to drax. "what if mantis doesn't show?"
"i will rip her limb from limb-"
"yeah, okay, nevermind." cassandra sighed."so, why are the powers scary, exactly? and why can you only make orchids?"
"well, i can't only make orchids. i'm sure i can make other things." cassandra shrugged. "like.. uh.. i can make.. well, let me try." she sat up, and she shut her eyes. "what do you want me to make? something small, preferably."
"make a cat."
"that's too big! and you'd just eat it, anyway!" cassandra huffed. "okay, make a.. carnation. my dear kamaria's favorite flower."
"kamaria? your daughter? isn't your wife ovette?"
"i see you've been listening. yes, my daughter, kamaria."
"awh, didn't know she liked carnations."
"the forgotten lakes were riddled with them, so many of them. she used to love picking them and eating them."
cassandra's brows furrowed. "ew! she ate carnations?"
"yes, carnations are edible. you humans are just babies." drax huffed, laying on his back. cassandra ignored him and placed her hands together, and she focused on her hands, stemming a carnation from the palm of her hand, even though she barely felt anything growing from her hand. the petals of the flowers sprouted from the stem, and cassandra grabbed the carnation and plucked it from her hand, wincing, though it just felt like pulling a hair. drax sat up, and she handed the flower to drax. he took it, and he looked at it, gaze soft and gentle. he took the orchid from behind his ear, and he placed the carnation behind his ear. he placed the orchid behind cassandra's ear, and she smiled.
"youre a softie!" cassandra laughed, and drax rolled his eyes. "i'm not doing this. goodnight. let me know if mantis shows."
"okay." cassandra hummed, laying next to drax.
an hour later, cassandra's eyes shot open as something crawled on the bed, sinking the bed down, and she looked up. mantis was shaking drax awake, and drax's eyes shot open, and his brows furrowed. "we need to talk!"
"i'm sorry, but i like a woman with some meat on her bones." drax replied. cassandra sat up and looked at drax, brows furrowed. mantis gave drax a confused expression. ".. what?"
"i tried to let you down easily by telling you i found you disgusting. no, that's not what i.." drax gagged and retched, and cassandra huffed. "what are you doing?"
".. why do you guys have flowers behind your ears?" mantis asked cassandra, and cassandra pulled the orchid from her ear. "oh, i forgot that was there. long story, i was trying out my powers." cassandra shrugged as she took the orchid and placed it in her pocket. drax handed her the carnation, muttering "hold this for me." before continuing to gag.
"drax, what are you doing?" cassandra sighed. "i'm imagine being with her physically-" drax was interrupted by a gag. cassandra rolled her eyes. "stop being stupid."
"drax, i don't like you like that. i don't even like the type of.. thing you are!"
"hey! there's no need to get personal." drax muttered, and cassandra rolled her eyes. "so.. what are you going to tell us?"
"ego's gotten exactly what he wanted! i should have told you earlier! i was stupid! you are in danger! especially you, cassandra! you have angered ego by running from him!"
"wait, what!?" cassandra sat up.
"i have to tell you two the truth." mantis sighed, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "ego is going to destroy the universe."
".. what?" drax panted out. tears pooled in cassandra's eyes. "oh my god.. he's gonna use his powers to destroy the universe.. but he can't do it alone."
"he cannot, no. he is going to convince your father to do it alongside him. he already tried with you, but you aren't so easily convinced.. and.. we are all in danger. you may be immortal, but celestials can kill celestials."
"what does that mean?" cassandra whispered.
"that means.. he will kill you if he becomes too powerful."
-
the door swung open, and gamora ran forward and pinned mantis against the wall by her neck, tightly wrapping her arm around mantis's pipes before anyone could really comprehend. nebula ran into the room, and drax sat up defensively. cassandra grabbed his shoulders. "what are you doing!?"
"who are you people!?" gamora gritted out. "what is this place!?"
"i already did that!" cassandra sighed. "gamora, put her down!"
gamora glanced over at cassandra, her expression softening slightly. mantis's antennae glowed as she gripped gamora's wrist. "you are scared." she breathed out, and gamora squeaked and dropped mantis, causing her to fall to the ground."the bodies in the cavern, who are they!?"
"i.. i think those are ego's children." cassandra whispered. "the other children. the ones who failed him."
"yes." mantis nodded her head. "those are the bodies of his other offspring. the ones that didn't have the connection to the light."
".. we need to find quill and get off this damn planet." gamora gritted. "ego will have won him to his side by now."
"then we just go." nebula suggested lowly.
"no!" cassandra got up. "that is my dad, and we are not leaving him."
"yes." gamora nodded in agreement. "he is our friend, as well." nebula huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "all any of you do is yell at each other. you're not friends."
"you are correct." drax got up, and he laid a hand on cassandra's shoulder. "we are not friends. we are family. we leave no one behind."
nebula made a mocking face, and drax huffed. "except maybe you."
"ridiculous." nebula sighed.
ஓ๑♡๑ஓ
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 ; 1949
tysm for reading! any interaction/ appreciation is appreciated!! <3