#good lord if they told me this was just cramps i’d stab someone

[look-better-in-gold]

wish chopper was my doctor he’d know wtf was wrong with me

[grumpytrashpanda]

Requested my anonymous as a featured one-shot and inspired by real life events surrounding myself.

Summery: After Rocket suffers an injury that leaves him incapable of his usual work, he is treated to some special attention from his favorite Star-Dork while recuperating away with his thoughts. Fluffy Ending.

Word Count: 1,927

Notes: I might write a second chapter soon if this is well received or people ask me for it, we’ll see how it goes.

It was painful at first, this tightness in his lower joint when Rocket laid in the large bed shared by two, his leg propped up on a pillow and bored out of his mind staring at the ceiling.

Today marked it having been a week since the incident, him breaking his right leg and leaving the raccoon bedridden in what could’ve only been described as one of the dumbest things he’d ever done to himself.

Everyone has tales of how they got their scars or other injuries throughout the years and some might’ve even bragged about it as a testament to their times fighting across the galaxy but this was a bit different here, one that Rocket found more humiliating then anything.

The Guardians were heading back to their ship after a rather unique job that involved retrieving a stolen gem from an underground organization that had been taken from the faraway planet of Berhert.

Having been a great victory and the first time they had some money to enjoy themselves after repossessing the artifact for the Nova Corp, they had all decided on a night of celebration.

However fate had another plan In mind and with the five of them walking down the path towards the ship’s bay where the Quadrant had been left in their absence when in would could’ve only been described as the dumbest thing to befall someone, Rocket stepped into a burrow created by an Orloni and broke his leg in the process.

The small rat-like creature’s home in the ground became what would result in him being left in this state, having to realize how much he couldn’t do now that his ability to walk had been ripped out from under his feet.

There wasn’t much he really could do, still working on whatever trinkets and gadgets he could in his lap through the pain medication to keep his mind off the matter of his leg wrapped in a cast.

He wasn’t confined to the captain’s bedroom so much but to the whole ship and wherever he could get around on the homemade crutches made for him by Groot, the ship itself feeling more claustrophobic with the passing time as his depression and irritability fluxed.

Rocket’s wasn’t unknown to pain having dealt with the extremities of it and having his joints taken apart, reinserted or replaced with the internal cybernetics that made him what he was here today. That was all the more reason why it took a lot of negotiating to convince him to see a doctor after it happened, not believing it was broken to begin with and as usual with most things told everyone he was fine despite having an obvious limp in his side.

With nobody believing it Gamora decided to check herself and she barely got the chance to graze his injured leg when the pain spiked through the roof and within a moment’s notice, Rocket had sunk his teeth into her arm tending at it.

It wasn’t a voluntary action when he did and his bite didn’t go deeper than the surface of the skin since it was more of a warning of someone scared and in pain, it didn’t matter here because Gamora would’ve beaten him down into a slump if it wasn’t for the current situation and how his drooped face looked apologetic for his actions.

Now whether that saddened puppy face given was because Rocket’s fear of the wrath that awaited him for attacking Gamora like he did or he truly felt bad at the sight of her bleeding arm were two different things but it would’ve right to assume it had been a bit of both.

The bedroom door slid open with a gleeful voice announcing itself, none of than the Star-Lord checking in. “Hey Rocket, how you doing?”

“I’m hot, I’m cold, and my leg itches in places I can’t reach….” Rocket looked over as the man approached his bedside. “You tell me?”

Peter frowned at his words. “I know, I hate that this happened.” He suspected his fiancé wasn’t going to be in the best mood today and he didn’t blame him for being a bit more tempered than usual.

“Heh,” Rocket laughed, though it was half hearted at best. “what do you got to be upset about?” I’m the one laid up with all the free time in the world and bored outta my damn mind here."

“I know, it’s just whenever something happens around here I feel- I don’t know….responsible for it because I’m the captain and it hurts me to see you like this.”

“Pete you know I’m fine looking after myself and it ain’t ur’ fault for me twisting my leg in some dirt hole, I’m the one that’s going to have to live with that embarrassing story for the rest of my life.” That time he did laugh afterwards for them both. Rocket would’ve much rather have been shot again as painful as that was then having to explain why he was bandaged up like this over something so little.

“So speaking of which, how is the leg?” Peter nodded at the lower part of the raccoon’s body.

Rocket lifted his head to look at the white plastered cast. “Eh, pain ain’t too bad. Those pills you’re giving me are helping with all that but that isn’t even the worst of it.”

“Really?” Peter leaned down over the cast, feeling around it with a soft touch since he knew it was still healing.

“Yeah. the worst part is how I’m cooped up in this place, it sucks how I can’t go nowhere till’ this thing comes off.”

“Well we’ve got another six weeks or so to go of this.”

Rocket rolled his eyes for none to see with Quill sitting down by his feet on the bed. “Thanks for the reminder...”

It was strange as it always felt like prison and if it was it’d been the first one he wasn’t escaping out of it, not that he really wanted to either.

With all the injuries Rocket had been through before, when the doctor told him he wouldn’t be walking for over a month the raccoon only laughed it off to his face not believing a word of it. The truth hit him hard after the first few days into the ordeal since it was then he realized how dependent he had become of the others, a personal stab at his dignity when the simplest of tasks were done for him.

So with that mind Rocket had his good and bad days, not with the pain itself but emotionally handling this change in his life.

“How does it feel around here?” Peter coursed his hands around the top of the raccoon’s leg where the cast ended.

Rocket yawned, a crack in his voice when doing so that Peter wouldn’t have ever admitted sounded adorable staring at all those pearly teeth for a moment. “Not bad, just a little sore there.”

“Well….” Peter kneeled down alongside the bed, now being more eye level with his partner with a raised ear at attention. “I might be able to help out a little with that.”

“Wait, what are you going to-“ Rocket stopped when Peter started massaging his leg, rubbing along the joint above the fracture where it didn’t hurt so much. He was still careful when his fingers dug in between his partner’s fur and kneaded his attention to help with some of the stiffness in his leg from not walking much.

Peter wasn’t a professional per-say but he liked to think he knew enough in his years to help his aching fiance here with the pain, having done it a couple of times when Rocket wasn’t feeling his sharpest or pulled something while on a job.

He was a good guy like that with Rocket, giving massages here and there since he knew the shy Procyon didn’t know how to ask for them without sounding weird about it, none of the others really knew about that little thing they shared.

It was just another something that started one night after a long mission and neither of them really spoke of it much, Rocket didn’t know why it made him feel better sometimes having Quill’s hands rubbing all over him but it did and he enjoyed it.

Rocket groaned, it was long and mellowed but it wasn’t a sound of discomfort as he indulged in the attention. “You’re a real pal sometimes.”

“Hey well I’m an awesome guy alright,” Peter teased him with a smile. “who wants to make sure his even more awesome best bud doesn’t have a bad time with this whole thing. Gotta’ keep you in high spirits until we make it through this right?”

“That’s your words and optimism loser, I’m just getting tired of sleeping all the time and not being out there.” Rocket said, all he wanted to really do was go back out there and get his hands dirty.

Peter sighed, glancing over at Rocket from his place. “I know but it’s what you’ve got to do to get better.”

Rocket knew that, as much as he hated to admit it to himself here but his mind was plagued with thoughts of what was becoming of their ship and things that needed to be done but couldn’t be done now that he was like this.

After a minute of silence Peter stood back up to his feet on the floor in the bedroom. “So how was that?”

“Miles better, thanks boo.” Rocket replied, the earlier cramp in his leg gone after Peter’s fingers did their magic on him. It still hurt some down there but it wasn’t as tight like earlier when Quill first came in.

Peter smiled and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on the spot where he’d been massaging during their conversation.

Rocket smirked at him for doing that. “You’re weird Quill, what was that there for?”

“Back when I was young my mother would always kiss any scraps and bruises I’d get, like when I’d scrap my head or that time I broke my arm while tree climbing in our backyard.” Peter walked over and climbed in the bed with him, taking off his cloths except for his boxers and nestled himself next to Rocket while he continued. “She’d always tell me how that’d make them better but I never knew if they did, I think it was more about how it made me feel like it had something to do with and….”

He fell short of the proper words he wanted to say, it was just something he remembered from his childhood and times with his mother back home. Maybe it was dumb but he liked to keep her memory alive by doing the little things she always did for him growing up when Rocket reached over with an eased paw on his chest.

“It’s ok, kinda’ sweet you had someone around to do stuff for you like that huh?” Rocket was confused at first but was touched by the story behind the gesture and the sweetness of warmth given with it.

“Yeah…” Peter kissed Rocket above his right eye, a soft peck on his fur before they both shared another kiss, the meeting of lips against his own from Rocket’s warm muzzle that evolved into him cupping the raccoon’s head with a single hand across his cheek in their laid back place in the bed.

“And now you’ve got someone around here to give you that feeling when you need it too.”