Sequel to Just Let Me Sleep in Book #1
"I have never seen a container like this one, no," the shopkeeper said, studying the control panel that was flickering as the power began to shift. "I've seen similar, but this particular model is quite old."
"Hey! We're the same age!" Peter exclaimed, looking at the team for support but receiving only annoyed glares. "She's not old at all, thank you very much!"
"My apologies sir, but in cryogenics it's hard to tell. She entered at this age and was put into stasis. I don't have a way to know how long ago that actually was."
"Well, I knew her," Peter sighed, running his hand over the glass above your face, always looking at you as if it were for the first time. "And I need to get her out, no matter how long this takes."
Rocket hurried around to the other side of the cryo tube and jumped on top, pointing harshly at Peter with a slight sneer and display of his teeth. "Listen, you've been trying to crack this popsicle stand open for months now. You need to accept that it ain't gonna happen, Quill. This is a waste of time. I want my best friend back."
"What the hell? I thought you were on my side, man? If they can get Cap and that other old guy out of deep freeze, I can get her out too." Peter's face lit up suddenly at the realization of what he had almost missed, "wait...I'm your best friend?" he asked with a wide grin, nudging the small creature with a chuckle.
"Did that finally get your attention? Listen, those two geriatrics were a fluke, Pete. You need to get your head on straight and move on." Rocket dropped down to sit on top of the tube, his feet dangling slightly over the edge. The heel of his boot hit the control panel, suddenly bringing it to life for the first time since they had found you. "Oh, shit, what did I just do?" he yelped, jumping back to his feet with a worried look on his face.
Peter frantically looked at the controls and into the window to see what was happening to you, "you either let her out or you killed her!" Several loud bangs and alarms later, he finally stepped back when the lid began to open. With wide eyes he watched and waited; waited for any sign of life from you. When he thought he had waited too long, he sat heavily in a chair next to you and felt completely defeated. "Well, there's your answer, man."
"Yeah," Rocket replied quietly with a slight awe in his voice as he stared at you, "she's alive."
~~~
Peter paced back and forth in front of the med bay, waiting for you to be checked out, hoping that the cryogenic process didn't cause any harm. He stopped in his tracks when a new thought crossed his mind; what if you were frozen for a really bad reason? Like you were dying and he just restarted the process? Now he was feeling panic set in and worry that he had just made everything so much worse.
"Sit down."
"I can't sit down. This is all your fault, by the way."
"Wait just a damn minute," Rocket huffed, jumping down from his chair and moving in front of Quill, "you're the one who just had to have this girl and wouldn't give up on cracking that box open. Well I cracked it open, big guy. You got your wish. You should be thanking me."
"I am Groot."
"Thanks, pal. I appreciate that," Peter sighed, beginning to pace again. "But she's gonna be okay, right?"
Rocket jumped back up onto his seat and groaned, closing his eyes and leaning against Groot when he took rest next to him. "Can't hear you. Sleeping."
After a few more minutes of trying to wear a hole in the shiny tile floor, the doors to the examination room finally opened and the doctor was ready to give his report. Peter jumped to attention and waited anxiously, biting at his thumbnail.
"She's free to go."
"That's it?"
"Were you waiting for more?" the doctor asked, looking at the group curiously. "She's the picture of health."
"So why was she in cryo?" Rocket jumped in, pushing his way to stand by Quill. "That makes zero sense, doc."
The doctor waved his hand dismissively and turned to go back into the room, "I have no way to know. But if you plan on taking her home with you, you'd better catch her." He pointed towards a door at the end of the hall, and Peter suddenly broke into a sprint to catch you before you were out of sight.
"(Y/N)! (Y/N) hold on!"
You glanced over your shoulder as you ran, but stopped quickly when you realized that you knew the man chasing you. He was human, and his face was familiar, but the voice is what gave him away. "Peter?" As he got closer, you felt a surge of anxiety and held your hands up to stop him, "wait, stop there. Prove who you are."
"We met at the hospital," he panted, holding his side and trying to catch his breath, "on Earth, and you lied to me. You told me it was going to be okay, and it most definitely is not."
"I didn't lie," you sneered, "I was trying to make you feel better. I was being nice. You're the one who brushed me off."
"My mom died! I wasn't brushing you off, I was sad!"
"Oh, shit," you whispered, clapping your hand over your mouth and your demeanor completely changing. "Your mom died? Oh, Pete, I'm sorry."
"How the hell did you get here, (Y/N)? What's up with the whole frigid thing?"
"Frigid? Okay, I might not be the nicest person, and I don't make friends all that easily, but I'm not frigid."
"No," he laughed, "the cryo tube. You have a coupon for the Captain America package or something?"
Your eyes widened and your body returned to a panic as the thought of the tube brought your mind back to your current problem. "I have to go. I need to get back to Earth as fast as I can. You wouldn't happen to know how I could do that, would you?" Scanning the area around you, it caught your attention when the rest of Peter's team approached and you jumped next to him for cower from the strange group. "What the hell is that thing?"
"Pfft, which one?" he scoffed. "They're all nuts."
"It's a giant, walking tree. Carrying a...raccoon?"
"Groot, Rocket, Drax, and the green lady is Gamora. We're kind of a team," he shrugged as they joined you. "You'll get used to 'em."
"No, Pete, I need to go," you replied quickly, pushing away from him. "If he finds me, I'm as good as dead. Or worse, I'll survive. Can you help me or not?"
"Sweetheart, if I'm gonna help you, you gotta give me more info than that. Who's trying to find you?
"Ronan. You know him? Terrible guy. He hangs out with some blue chick, Nebula? Major bitch." You glanced over Peter's shoulder when Gamora choked slightly and began to laugh. "Anyway, when I didn't turn out to be the obedient mail-order-bride he purchased, he put me on ice."
Peter scoffed and gave you a mischievous smile, rubbing his hands together excitedly at the thought that he might have something that would make you stay. "Baby, it's your lucky day. That boy's dead. We did that," he said proudly.
"Serious?" you asked cautiously with a skeptical look. "You guys?"
"Kinda rude, but understandable," Rocket added, jumping down from Groot's shoulder to step up to you. "I like that. Hello, beautiful," he said as he held his hand out to you, "it's my pleasure."
"Back off, fuzzball. I definitely saw her first." Peter swatted his hand away and took yours instead. "So, (Y/N), wanna give this sorry bunch a shot? Earth's overrated anyway. Kinda boring, I hear." When you didn't answer him right away and looked lost in thought, he gave your hand a little shake to draw your attention to him. "Please, don't go. Not quite yet."
You were about to say that you would stay for a while, but Gamora came forward and looped her arm through yours and began to lead you away. "Nebula's a major bitch, you say? (Y/N), I do think that you and I are about to become great friends."