#guest muse: peter quill

[celestialmantdonna]

Mantis didn't think that her willingness to help, to make Vossler confess after what happened, was a big deal. She wanted to help others, and if she could do so in any way, she would.

She wasn't sure how to respond, so she simply nodded and quietly thanked Basch when he said her actions were admirable before she left with Gamora. She couldn't blame Vossler's actions on all of Dalmasca, and everyone else seemed to condemn his actions at the moment.

Quill waited for Basch and Ashelia to leave the room before he did, and after slamming the door shut, a manifestation of the lingering anger he felt after the assassination attempt on his teammate, the Star-Lord left as well to return to the Benatar and talk to Rocket.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Mantis smiled at Munoh again after they told Soryn that Basch had approved of her help. She was lucky to have the being's support, and she would happily work with Munoh to get all the information they could extract from the traitor.

Gamora crossed her arms when Vossler demanded both she and Mantis stayed away from him. They didn't want to see him either, but Mantis wanted to get him to tell the truth, and... it wasn't like Vossler would confess spontaneously.

Gamora was a little surprised when Munoh revealed themself to her, but since both Mantis and Quill had seen them, and they had helped Mantis, she wasn't as shocked as she could have been by the glowing, floating presence of the being.

As Mantis offered to remove her influence over him, his suspicion was more than evident, and for a moment, she didn't think that her attempt to lure him in would work. However, it did, and the empath couldn't help but think that he was not that clever for someone so boastful.

He warned her? Now? To warn someone was to tell them about a possible danger beforehand, and Vossler had already tried to take her out. Had she been anyone else, Mantis would've digged her nails into the skin of his face before telling him that she had saved his life twice; first time by telling the Guardians not to kill him, second time by not commanding him to drop dead in that moment. But unlike Vossler, she didn't act out of ego. So instead, her palm was gently placed on Vossler's cheek as she gave a simple order in her mind. Something that to many would be far scarier than a heated fight.

Tell us everything you are trying to keep secret.

She had made the guards tell Raminas that Vossler would confess because he would. Mantis wanted to see him again before his trial to make sure he would do so, and if anyone accused her of lying, of making things up or forcing Vossler to say things that weren't real... Munoh would take care of that.

At least Vossler would stop wailing now. He would be too busy pointing out his own treachery.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Drax walked with Groot for a while, admiring the Royal Palace of Rabanastre and its beautiful surroundings.

He was visibly protective of the young Guardian, especially after what happened with Mantis. He knew the guards were keeping an eye on them, but he wouldn't attack them. If the guards were wise, they would realize that the Guardians had not landed there to pose a threat.

The threat had come from within the palace's walls.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

"No!"

"Man, c'mon!"

"No! Fuck that!" Rocket insisted.

Arguments weren't uncommon in the Benatar, especially between Rocket and Quill. After reaching the ship, Quill had told Reks that he needed to talk to Rocket in private, although he knew what Rocket would say: no, we are not going to fight for Dalmasca, fuck no, personally I do not fight for those who try to kill my friends, call me crazy, I'd rather fix the ship and get outta here, thank you very much, we will not return.

"Dude, you think I wanna do it?" Quill retorted. "I don't! But we need to! Don't you remember what I said when you asked me why I'd want to save the galaxy?"

"Do I look like I give a fuck?!"

"That's not what I said to you!"

"If we stay here any longer those assholes will try to kill Mantis again!" Rocket snarled. "What do ya want me to say, huh? Oh, yes, we will go to war for you! Sure, use us as your doormat while you're at it, anythin' you need, let us turn around so you can shove your mighty swords up our–"

"Okay, enough! We're not doing this. This is the kind of decision we should make together." Quill sighed and crossed his arms. "I think Mantis should have the last word." As much as he wanted to use his authority as leader and Captain of the Guardians, he knew that the assassination attempt had been on Mantis.

Rocket glared at him and then he kept working on the small, shiny green object.

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[chaoticrebels]

Like this to receive a starter from one of the following muses: You can either specify whom you want or leave it up to chance cause I put every single name on a wheel of names.

MCU:

Loki

Peter Quill/Starlord

Peter Parker/Spiderman

Storm Lokison

Holden Stark

Disney:

Peter Pan

Tinkerbell

Jim Hawkins

Ariel

Luna Jessenia

Harry Potter:

Draco Malfoy

Raena Lily Potter

Akira Skye Rayne

Anastasia Rose Nott

Galexia Cordelia Malfoy

Fandomless:

Roxas Morningstar

Gavin Zane Rossi

Jakai Holden Alexus

Ryker Kaiden Phoenix

Ashley Jamie Moore

Video Games:

Ji-Woon Hak

Yoichi Asakawa 

Leon S. Kennedy

Nathan Drake

Ellie

Lara Croft

Stranger Things:

Steve Harrington

Eddie Munson

Billy Hargrove

Styles McKenzie Corbyn

Roxxi Hargrove

Carter Harrington

Twyla Luna Nyx

Dakota Harrington

Noah Sykes

Kairi Sykes

Special Guest:

Matteo Alister Drakos

Makena Taylor Monroe 

Kataleya Rose Bynes 

Jupiter Morgan Winters

[authoressskr]

Write Into My Arms [1]

Characters: f!Reader, James “Bucky” Barnes, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Peter Parker, Hope Van Dyne, Natasha Romanoff, Scott Lang, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Okoye, T’Challa, Shuri, Clint Barton, Happy Hogan, Dr. Strange, Wong, Bruce Banner, Amelina Rodrigez (OFC), with mentions of Thor, Carol Danvers, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Peter Quill, Gamora, Nebula, Mantis and Drax.

Warnings: Language, Action (in last chapter) and no Beta (just me and Grammerly up in here)  ::  Word Count: 8885  ::  Pairing: Bucky x f!Reader

This was written for @jewelofwinter’s Writing Challenge!! I also incorporated a prompt for @jaamesbbarnes + @sgtjbuccky’s D&S’ Milestone Celebration!!

Prompt: “Tin Man lost Y/N.” (@jewelofwinter’s prompt) + “Publicly, I agree. Personally, I think it’s chickenshit.” (D&S’ prompt) Bolded in text below. Prompt #1 will appear in the third part while Prompt #2 appears in the second part. The next two parts will be posted by the end of this week. All three will be linked.

Summary: You’re a small time blog writer who is invited to interview the Avengers. ALL the Avengers. 

Please do NOT repost, copy & paste, post or share my works on any other platform without my EXPRESS PERMISSION.

-+- REBLOGGING is fine and very appreciated! -+-

Looking around the compound’s living room, you can’t help but openly stare. Everything is expensive, even the doorknobs seem to know their elevated worth.

You’ve circled the room three times so far, each time slower than the last as your keen eyes searching out every minute detail. You’ve been waiting for nearly twenty minutes, which isn’t too much of a bother, and from what you’d heard from other reporters and writers isn’t that long of a wait for Tony Stark. Although your boss said that the article was supposed to cover all of the inhouse Avengers…

Happy, Tony’s chauffeur/bodyguard and right-hand man, had brought you into this room and at this point, your overthinking has begun to wonder if being made to wait here is a diversion so that he can get all the Avengers to clear out. After all, Stark Industries controls most of the press about the Avengers and they don’t do interviews...except Tony and every so often, the good Captain Rogers.

You wonder briefly if watching some YouTube would be extremely unprofessional or just a mild, millennial version of unprofessionalism.

Deciding against it, you sit on the plushest and buttery soft black leather couch, fishing around your large purse for your notebook. Carefully flipping past the first pages, you look over the list of Avengers you’ve compiled - along with basic stats, going over them for the umpteenth time since being assigned this article. And, being the person you are, you had arranged them by age, willingness to talk to you, and then on difficulty on opening up for the story.

Fishing out a pen, you make a few last-minute notes, only to feel that tell-tale prickle at the back of your neck alerts you to the three figures lingering in the large entryway that leads towards a hallway. You pop up, smoothing out your dress bottom nervously.

“Oh! Hello. I’m Y/N, writer for Undefined Muses. I’m, uh, here to interview you?”

“You don’t seem to know if you are or not,” Hawkeye, Clint Barton, says with a big smile - the last yellow traces of a bruise fading on his left cheek.

“I wasn’t sure who all had agreed to participate - and I don’t want to force anyone to do if they aren’t interested.”

“Normally, the reporters are kind of rabid about these kinds of interviews,” Natasha replies smoothly, moving into the room and perching on the arm of an oversized loveseat. She’s dressed impeccably, looking like a glamorous movie star from the thirties, with high waist black dress pants and a dark blue silk shirt with tiny red roses dotted all over.

“Well, my boss sent me because I’m,” You pause, searching for the right word. “Demure.”

“I honestly was waiting for you to say ‘unrabid’.” Clint chuckles out, tossing himself into the loveseat that Natasha is perched on directly across from where you stand.

“I’m not sure what writer would use the word ‘unrabid’. I’m also 90% sure that isn’t a word.”

“Only 90%?” Natasha queries, smiling so knowingly it makes you a little wary.

“Well, he said it, so thus it has been made a word. But you won’t find it in a dictionary. So yes, 90%.”

The large brunet, whom you knew as James Barnes, still stood by the hallway they must have come from, watching the interactions with storm blue eyes. Your shoulders tighten, straightening as you realize that they’d sent all the previous assassins in first. Quite the unsettling welcome wagon… Wait. Was this a weird sort of game? Like chicken? You very nearly chuckle, if that’s the case, because little did these people know you weren’t the bravest person - content with hiding behind your words, telling others amazing and heart wrenching stories.

“Will you all be participating?” You finally manage to get out with a smile without nerves making it forced.

“They will,” Comes the answer from behind you - Tony Stark himself, Iron Man in the flesh, says with a confidence you’d only seen on tv. “Miss Y/L/N. So glad you could make it. Plane ride enjoyable?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you so much for the use of your plane.” He waves a hand as he flashes a megawatt smile.

“No problem. No problem at all. Now, I know they’ve probably introduced themselves but that is Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and one of the 100 plus pair, Bucky Barnes.”

“Nice to meet you all,” They all nod as Tony rubs his hands together then claps.

“Now, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying, I’ll have Happy drop your luggage in there while I show you around -”

“I’m sorry - uh, staying?” You tilt your head a tad to the left, blinking at the illustrious Mr. Stark.

“Yes. Of course, you’ll be staying here in the compound. Rhodey, Steve, and Sam are headed home as we speak, should be here sometime early tonight. Wanda and Vision are on their way back, they were having brunch at a nearby vineyard. Oh, and Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Danvers should be in - oh, I don’t know - maybe 3 or 4 days. Everyone else is on site.” Logically, you know your mouth is open. You also know you should close it, but the shock…

Every. Single. Avenger.

Fuck.

“Um, I just...Sir, I didn’t mean...I only just brought...ALL OF THEM??”

“To answer your oh so eloquent questions, I did tell your boss I would be getting you as many as possible. I would have thought Mrs. Rodrigez, was it?, would have conveyed the seriousness,” He gives a little huff, smile firmly in place. “Anyhow, you’ll manage. FRIDAY will have a list of shops that will deliver here - we have a tab, just feel free to add to it.”

“Sir -”

“Tony,” He corrects.

“Tony. I will manage my own clothes, thank you. My boss did stress the importance of this interview block. I was told, however, that this was by choice for the Avengers or Stark Industries staff. Not that you’d make them come from outer space to be riddled with questions. And, Tony, I honestly don’t know why our little site was chosen to write these interviews to begin with, sir. How do you even know who I am…” You were so focused on Tony that you hadn’t realized that Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Pepper Potts (Stark?), Bruce Banner, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne and a man of Asian descent you couldn’t place had entered the room. Tony moves closer, peering over the couch and down into your purse, finger pulling at one of the edges to see into it.

“Well, that’s simple. I asked for you.” Eyebrows shoot upward in shock before your forehead furrows. “See, Pep read a piece you did on library and book importance - specifically in young and all school-age children. It was lying around, so I read it. And you know what? I liked the emotion. The thoughtfulness behind it. Every word was picked with such care - constructed to paint a picture. And that’s what I want you to do for us.” He gestures for you to sit, which you give a gentle shake of your head at and takes up the seat you’d been in before. He leans forward, one elbow balanced on his knee as he looks up at you. “We get good press, bad press too, but I want people to see the big picture. We’re a team. We’re a family. We sacrifice a lot to be able to do what we do. Paint that picture for me.” The spell Tony seemed to have cast on you raised and you look around to see the whole room staring at you, waiting.

You swallow hard and nod a couple of times. “I’ll do my best, Tony.” He rises and gives a nod of his own, flashing you a smile tinged with sadness that he quickly hides.

“Good. Good. Let’s get you into a guest room and then the tour. But first, some more introductions.”

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

The voice in your room, in all the building you suppose, FRIDAY as she introduced herself, announced that dinner would be casual dress and served in an hour. Tony had been a gracious host, informing you he’d canceled your room at the winery - that, coincidentally, Wanda and Vision had been having brunch at earlier - before sashaying around the compound with Pepper, Scott, and Hope all in tow like a little tour group. Tony dutifully recited when it was built, remodeled, rebuilt. The layout and their functions. He adds little tidbits about visiting when he was little, making everything a little more real for you. You walk beside him, with him sometimes latching onto your elbow as you talk softly into your recorder, reminding yourself to get pictures of certain areas later with your camera.

It had been nice, Scott was witty and said aloud most of the smart ass comments you’d been thinking. Pepper kept Tony focused and Hope spent as much time as you did asking questions. The tour of the basic facilities ended back where it had begun in the living room, rain beginning to splatter against the massive wall of windows to your left.

You’d managed to find your way back to the room, 5th on the right, to find your overnight bag sitting on the end of the bed next to a plush white robe and a note from Tony stating he’d still asked for the stores to bring over things for you to pick out tomorrow and not to bother fighting him on it. Kicking off your shoes, you’d wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling window in your room to watch the raindrops slide down the glass, tucking your legs under you as you sat on the very soft, thick carpet with your notebook and pen.

Amelina, your boss and best friend, had bought you a gray, faux-leather sunflower embossed one to butter you up. Your little addiction and she knew it. You’d accepted the notebook and the assignment with little hesitation. Only to look at the notebook lying on your desk later and think ‘What the hell have I just done?!’

The first page is an outline of what Amelina had said she wanted from the articles (she ideally wanted to break them into separate pieces with each Avenger getting their own spotlight), your notes on the Avengers from digging online and the preliminary dates the article, or articles, would be posted on the site. Taking a deep breath you flip past the Avengers you’d already made lists for, adding the Guardians, Captain Danvers, Doctor Stranger, Wong (whom you’d met earlier), adding Scott and Hope as well, since they are West Coast-based and you had a 50/50 chance of actually interviewing them initially.

Your recorder would hold the interviews, your verbal notes and memos to take pictures of certain locations...but your gray notebook, that was for your notes and thoughts on their habits, likes and dislikes based on observation, how they interact with you, and how they interact with each other.

The alarm on your phone drags you away from writing a few more observations on the page designated for Pepper Potts, letting you know that you need to get up and changed for dinner. You plug your recorder in to download the tour from earlier while you change and freshen up your hair and makeup.

Your hopping on one foot, trying to shove your foot into the stupid pump when your alarm goes off again. Tossing yourself onto the end of the bed, you unplug your recorder and wiggle your foot into the pump better before heading out the door. You shove the recorder into the pocket of your skirt, making your way down the hall when the intro to “7 Rings” begins playing from the phone in your hand. With a quick swipe you answer, stopping almost halfway down the hall.

“Yes?”

“Is that any way to answer the phone?”

“It is when I’m on my way to dinner and your long-winded call could make me late.”

“Harsh, dude, harsh.” Amelina barely takes a breath before continuing. “So, whatcha got so far?”

“First of all, that isn’t how I work. How long have you known me, Lina? By the way, I’m mad at you.”

“What for?”

“You didn’t tell me I’d be staying here or that I’d be here for two weeks. I looked like an idiot in front of Tony Freaking Stark and Pepper Freaking Potts!” You hiss into the phone, tapping your foot in irritation as she chuckles on the other end of the line.

“Sorry! I honestly didn’t know how long you’d be staying -”

“Well, it’s nice that you let me know that!”

“Mr. Stark just asked how long he could have you on loan. I said a max of three weeks.”

“Oh my god, Amelina,” you groan, letting your head drop forward as you repeat in your head to breathe.

“You are such a -”

“You’re being a real bitch. I would have packed. I would have been prepared. But nooooo! Now I’m standing in a hallway wishing that your brother’s new puppy would pee in your expensive shoes!”

“Now that’s just mean!”

“I’m hanging up now. May Jedi maul all the shoes you hold dear.” You jab your thumb against the screen before taking a deep breath and continuing your trek to the living room.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Apparently ‘casual’ at the Avengers compound is a broad term. Clint is sporting a sweatshirt with the SHIELD logo emblazoned on the front with black jogging pants and loafers. Steve has a dark blue shirt that is miraculously being held together by mere buttons, which you’re afraid if he strains, will lose their valiant efforts to keep his shirt together. His is paired with khakis and the same loafers as Clint, which amuses you for some unknown reason. Sam Wilson has a red t-shirt with a black blazer over it, dark gray jeans and some well-worn boots. As you finish taking in appearances, standing like a wallflower half-hidden by the hallway arch still, you can’t help but wonder if you should pinch yourself to see if this was reality.

Sam spots you first, or is the first to acknowledge it, and makes his way over with a friendly smile painted on his face.

“I’m Sam Wilson, nice to meet you.” His hand extends and nearly swallows your own before giving it a firm shake. You liked that. He wasn’t treating you as delicate. You detested when men did that when shaking hands with women…

“Y/N Y/L/N, nice to meet you as well.”

“Heard Tony gave you the tour.” He’s got a smirk now, eyes bright and teasing.

“Oh yeah. He offered to let me try out a suit - but only when Pepper and Steve weren’t around.”

“Killjoys,” Sam gives a serious shake of his head, chuckling as FRIDAY announces dinner is ready to be served. “Let’s get you to dinner. We’re having it in the mess hall once everyone gets here - tonight we can still have it in the actual dining room.” He offers his arm, guiding you out of the living area. “You met Bucky, right?” You give a nod, very aware the aforementioned is right behind the two of you. “His article will be the shortest. Dude’s damn near a mute unless he’s lecturing Steve, so I wish you good luck on interviewing him.”

“And here I thought that your odd friendship was all made up…” You answer slyly, hearing a snort of laughter behind you - unsure if it belongs to Steve or Bucky.

“Hey Cap, you meet the reporter?” Sam flashes you a smile as he turns the two of you around, bringing you to a hard stop so you don’t ram into the super-soldier.

“Steve Rogers, miss.” He offers his hand and gives yours a firm shake, his blue eyes holding a wariness you weren’t expecting. Captain America, wary of you? Doesn’t inspire a lot of hope in you about this whole experience…

“Y/N Y/L/N, sir.”

“Sit! Sit!” Tony orders jovially from down the table before pointing to the man at his right. “Rhodey. War Machine. Liar extraordinaire. I may need to sit in to make sure he gets all the facts straight.”

“Don’t listen to Mr. Stank over here, ma’am.”

“Unfortunately, that’s why I’m here Mr. Rhodes.” Steve pulls out your chair for you, waiting until your seated to take his seat to your left. “Thank you.”

“I think we should all get to know each other,” Tony starts, only for Rhodey to roll his eyes and Bruce to scoff from the other end of the long table.

“May I record?” You ask, watching everyone sort of tense and shuffle.

“Of course!” Tony answers as you withdraw the recorder, clicking it on and sitting it beside your plate.

“I think it’s only fair since I’ll be bothering all of you for the next two or so weeks, that you can ask me whatever you’d like as well.”

“That’s fair,” Dr. Strange concedes from his spot to your right.

“Very fair, I think,” Scott agrees, giving you a big comforting smile.

“Okay, well let’s start with where you were born.” A handful of waiters come in, setting bowls and plates onto the tabletop before disappearing.

“Family style,” Pepper clarifies before looking expectantly to you.

“I was born in California. But moved to Seattle when I was little, maybe about 3. Right before I started kindergarten we moved back to California. Been there ever since.”

“And your business?” Pepper asks, dishing some green beans onto her plate.

“It’s more Amelina’s than mine. We’re partners in the site, but I do the money part, well I prep it for the accountant - and most of the writing - and she does the schmoozing, bossing around, the sports articles and the keeping up of the site. So she’s doing the lion’s share.”

“I would think you break even,” Hope pipes up. “Well, what with you having to travel and compile the information and then write it out. Plus anything to do with money is usually more stressful. Do you both hire and fire?”

“Unfortunately, yes. We tried to hire a sports writer after we’d had the site for a year, but it didn’t work out...”

“Wait. Wait. Was it that guy that kept inserting himself into the story?” Sam laughs out, peeking around Bucky who is beside Steve. You bite back a groan.

“Yes.”

“Bucky, Rhodey - it’s that article I sent you saying that Babe Ruth was only half the baseball player he could have been and that the writer could’ve been the next Bambino.” Rhodey is at least trying not to laugh, but you can see Bucky’s shoulders shaking as you lean backward in your chair.

“That was a huge mistake. All of his work we reviewed before hiring was impeccable. I checked to make sure it wasn’t plagiarized and we called all of his references. Apparently, he’d had some experience in coding and websites, so after he handed in his first final draft, he went in an hour after Amelina posted it, and changed it. We got so many emails - we were getting all these calls... Brian up and disappeared after he did that. To this date, still haven’t had as much traffic on the site as that day.”

“Brian sounds like a douche,” Wanda mutters with a smile, taking a sip from her wine glass. You look down at your plate, finding it overflowing with more food than you’d put on there. You raise an eyebrow at Steve, who just shrugs and puts a forkful of potato salad in his mouth with a smile.

“Yeah. I blacklisted him.”

“Blacklisted how?” Clint manages around a mouthful of bread.

“Oh, um, well I emailed almost every single media outlet in California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Then I asked them to forward it to their parent stations or owners. So basically, after a year of emailing people, most blogs, newspapers, tv stations, circulars, and YouTube hosts in California to Kentucky know not to deal with anyone going by his name. I helped a reporter from Pennsylvania with her story, and she began emailing people on the East Coast about it. All emails included his picture too, just in case he went by another name.”

“Effective. A bit ruthless.” Vision is seated between Wanda and Rhodey, nodding in approval.

“No! Not ruthless!” You defend, voice rising a little before the heat rises in your neck and cheeks. “Sorry. I just didn’t want anyone to get dinged as we did. We had to say a lot of apologies and lost a lot of work because of his pointless self-involved rant. And I mean, who goes after Babe Ruth?”

“Balls but no brains,” Scott adds, the two of you nodding. He points his fork at your plate. “Eat.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“That’s what you’re here for.” Tony chuckles out.

“What do you guys do in times like these? When there aren’t aliens or Loki or HYDRA? Like a big spa day for all of you guys? Karaoke?”

“To be honest,” Natasha begins. “There aren’t a lot of days like this when we are all free at the same time. But honestly, it’s more watching and waiting than action and aliens.”

“Kind of miss SHIELD to kind of take care of the day to day bad guy cartel and mafia stuff?” You manage around a mouthful of pasta. Sweet Jesus, it was decadent and cheesy.

“Sometimes I miss the help,” Clint admits.

“What Clint means is that he misses telling people what to do.” Sam teases, tossing a bread roll at him across the table, which Clint catches without even looking away from you.

“Hey! I didn’t tell people what to do. They just did it.”

“Did you buy a bar just to tear it down, Tony?” Tony smiles around a forkful of steak.

“Yes. Yes, I did. Ross just rubs me the wrong way.”

“To be fair, I think he rubs everyone the wrong way.”

“You’ve met him?” Steve sounds surprised, eyebrows raised in what you hope is astonishment.

“Unfortunately. I was in college and had to write a piece on something or someone whom you don’t agree with. Now I am all for soldiers but upper management sucks in the military, no offense Mr. Rhodes. But, everywhere, really... I just think the old guys in Congress and equally old guys in the upper ranks are calling the shots on things they shouldn’t be interfering in, as far as college me was concerned. Ross irritated me for the simple reason that he was the smartest person in the room and no matter what I said, what facts I had, what questions I asked, I would always be wrong. Never disliked being called ‘sweetheart’ so much in my life. Hard to have a conversation with the other side when they talk to you like that. Plus, I got a D on that paper, so he sucks in my book.”

“I told him to call me if he needed help. Then I left him on hold. In my own defense, I did warn him earlier I did like to watch the light blink.” Rhodey snorts into his glass at Tony’s admission.

“Like a tiny Christmas light of joy.” Steve comments, leaning back in his chair with a smile.

You shove a forkful of green beans into your mouth, giving a little sigh at how damn good it tasted before spearing a few more and eating those as Scott launches into the tale of him, Cassie, Luis and his ex-wife’s husband all hanging Christmas lights - only for the new husband to find he’d rewired and programmed them to blink in super slow motion with the fastest Christmas songs he could find and vice versa. And every 9 hours and 45 minutes, it played La Cucaracha, perfectly in time with the lights. There are a few chuckles around the table, but you’re laughing pretty damn hard.

“That’s brilliant actually! The deviousness lies in the amount of annoying that they could take. Having to time your exit must have been a bitch.”

“He and one of his buddies took it all down, bought new lights and hung those up. Cassie told me she missed hearing the Chipmunks, so I remotely programmed a timer so it would play the Christmas Don’t Be Late song right before her bedtime.”

“Cassie sounds like a wonderful girl. And very lucky to have you for her father.” Scott looks flustered but gives you the brightest smile before looking down at his empty plate.

“Th-thank you.”

“Of course. Do you guys do Netflix around here? Movie night?”

“Your mind is everywhere…” Hope says with a grin. “That’s good.”

“And to answer your question - yes. We have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime…” Sam trails off as the waiters reappear, clearing the table only to return seconds later with plates of beautiful personal assorted desserts. If this was how they ate, you’d hate to see their exercise regime. Oh god, you hoped you weren’t expected to work out with them...

“I was just wondering how you all decide on a show. Do Steve and Bucky have lists? Like are you all working through AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies? I think I’ve only seen 20 of them. Do you all binge shows together?”

“Pep started a rotation. So if it’s your Sunday night and you’re in the compound or tower, then you pick the movie or show. If you aren’t here, it goes to the next person on the list.”

“Sometimes after a mission, it’s usually just decided to watch tv shows just cause we all sort of zone out,” Steve whispers after Tony’s answer, taking a big scoop of his parfait.

“We’ve never been invited,” Wong pipes up, frowning at Tony.

“Oh, I invited both you and Strange right after Pepper made the schedule. If Strange didn’t relay that…” Dr. Strange just rolls his eyes.

“I mentioned it.”

“You didn’t say it was a regular occurrence.” Wong huffs out before biting into a ladyfinger.

“Like an old married couple,” Clint chuckles out, his desserts all gone as he leans contentedly back in his chair. You give your head a small shake at their exchange before reaching to stop your recorder.

“Well, thank you so much for that delicious meal. And thank you for letting me record. I hope I get less awkward as this goes on.”

“This was awkward?” Wanda raises an eyebrow, making you fiddle with the recorder before tucking it into your pocket.

“Okay, well, um then it will get more awkward before it gets less awkward.” You all rise, pushing in your chairs before wandering out of the dining room and back towards the living areas.

“You’ll find out we’re all awkward. Well, except me.” You nod seriously at Tony’s words, managing to see Bucky roll his eyes at Tony’s words. Huh. Who knew… “Nightcap?”

“Oh, no. Thank you. I’m so full I don’t think I could even manage that.”

“Then we’ll say goodnight.” A chorus of goodnights echoes around the large living room.

“Goodnight everyone.”

You totter off to your room, cursing the fact that you’re so sleepy right now. After washing your face, brushing your teeth and changing into your pajamas, you shuffle down under the covers.

“Well, that wasn’t the most awkward or silent dinner I’ve ever been to…” You mutter before sleep drags you under.

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In the morning, you wake up earlier than you usually tend to, sitting on the floor in your pajamas in front of the rain-splattered window with your headphones on - going over the recordings, transcribing them and making notes in your dotted notebook, since it better served to add afterthoughts to. Not the nice orderly layout of your new notebook. And you’re so involved in listening and typing, snatching up the notebook beside you to jot down memos, that you don’t hear Steve and Tony calling your name and you sure as hell don’t hear them enter.

The scream accounts for that, Bucky and Sam barrelling through your door as you look up at Steve and Tony with wide eyes, shoving your headphones off.

“We’re sorry.” Tony barely restrains a chuckle. “I’m sorry. I had FRIDAY see if you were awake, then came to get you for breakfast, but,” He laughs now, the skin by his eyes crinkling. “You didn’t answer.”

“Maybe we should think about a different system!” You blurt as you stare up at the four men.

“Yes. Definitely,” Tony chuckles. “Next time I’ll have FRIDAY blink the lights to alert you.”

“Thank you!”

“Our pleasure.” Steve grins out, extending a hand.

“No, I’m fine here, thanks.” Steve shrugs, the smile not disappearing.

“Well, we’ll leave you to get dressed for breakfast. The shops are due to arrive after breakfast for you to pick some more clothes for your stay. Sam has also requested to be your first interview.” Sam winks at you from Cap’s left, sporting a wide smile as Bucky’s gaze goes from Sam to you.

“Thanks again.” You peer around Steve. “And thank you two for coming so quickly.”

“Anytime, Y/N.” Sam delivers smoothly, Bucky rolling his eyes before making a swift exit. The other three leave with smiles on their faces.

It takes you several minutes to realize you were in your pajamas; a worn and oversized ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ shirt paired with sleep shorts that could barely be seen peeking under the hem of your shirt.

“Jeez…” You groan, rubbing a hand over your face before closing the laptop and tossing your notebooks on the bed.

Ten minutes later you have your teeth brushed and you’re dressed in adequate attire, shuffling nervously into the kitchen area on the other side of the bar in the living room. Clint and Bucky are cooking, Wanda weaving between the two expertly. You slip in the seat next to Hope, her hair in a ponytail and dressed in workout clothes.

“How long has everyone been up?” You whisper-ask, setting your recorder and notebook beside the empty plate that Natasha sets in front of you with a small smile. You return it as Hope cuts her pancake which is riddled with syrup, fruit and whipped cream.

“We all did a workout before breakfast,” She puts a big bite of sugar-laden pancake in her mouth, “Speeds up your metabolism.”

“Where’s Scott?”

“Here.” He mutters, slipping into the seat on the other side of Hope.

“Not a morning person?”

“I enjoy my sleep.”

“Thank god. Me too. Under normal circumstances.”

“Yes,” A new voice pipes up from the other side of the room, making you lean back to see who it is. “We heard about the intrusion this morning.”

“Holy - Princess Shuri!” After nearly tripping trying to slither out of your stool, you manage to get upright and extend a hand. “So lovely to meet you.”

“Thank you. It is lovely to meet you as well. I read your articles after Tony mentioned you were selected to do the interviews, and I must say that when you do scientific articles, there is a very nice flow and imagery that one does not usually get.”

“Thank you! I’m sure whoever I’ve interviewed in the science community doesn’t care for all the questions I have after the interview, so I’m glad that it reads well to a genius.”

“You will just make her head bigger, Miss Y/L/N.”

“King T’Challa, wonderful to meet you.” You breathe a deep breath of relief as he extends his hand, giving it a firm shake with a warm smile.

“Wonderful to meet you as well. Please sit, you must keep your strength up if you are to deal with all of us.” There is mischief in his eyes, the twinkle of a man temporarily unburdened.

“That bad?”

“Wait ‘til the Guardians are here!” A male voice pipes up, followed by a tossing sound and a huffed “Sorry!”

“Peter Parker, ma’am.” Your eyebrows shoot up as you automatically stick out your hand.

“Spider-Man,” Tony supplies as he walks by with a bowl of oatmeal. Honestly, your only thought is that he’s a baby and should be protected at all cost.

“Yeah, I think I saw a post on Instagram about someone in New York making Spider-Man ice creams...So you’re the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?” Peter blushes, withdrawing his hand and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Don’t worry, kid. Pep had her sign contracts before she even came. She can’t reveal your identity.”

“Oh. Okay then.” His smile brightens at least a hundred watts. “Did you eat yet? Mr. Barnes makes the best pancakes!”

“Does he now?” Bucky’s back is to you, so you can’t see his expression, but there are already two hot pancakes setting on your plate next to several pieces of bacon. “I’m going to gain so much weight while I’m here…” You sigh, actually not the least bit bothered by it once you bite into the pancake, it’s buttery soft fluff filling your mouth, the second bite revealing a tiny melted chocolate chip to add to the deliciousness. Flipping open your notebook, you scribble down a note: Bucky Barnes = wonderful pancakes. Peter sees it and ducks his head as he takes his plate over to where Shuri is sitting, the two of them bent over a tablet when you glance over your shoulder.

Everything is terribly domestic. Normal.

And you want them to enjoy it. Cause honestly, after all that’s happened, they truly deserve a little peace and camaraderie.

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”Okay, so is this alright?” You ask, settling a little more into the plush blood-red chair in Sam’s bedroom, his desk to your right littered with your notebook, your phone, the recorder, and several pens.

“Great. I’m good to go.” You pick up the recorder, clicking it on with a nervous smile directed at Sam before you began.

“Interview One: Sam Wilson, known as Falcon. Okay, Sam, please tell me a little about yourself?”

“What would you like to know?”

“Let’s just start with the basics - like speed dating.”

“I’ve never been speed dating.”

“Well, aren’t we the lucky one?”

“Wait - you’ve been speed dating?”

“Unfortunately. It was for an article but nothing really was romantic or fun about asking the same questions of men who aren’t looking you in the eye.”

“Don’t gotta worry about that here. Our mamas all raised us right.”

“Noted. Alright, so I’ll ask the nice fluffy questions first.”

“Working our way up to the heavy hitter ones.”

“Exactly. What’s your favorite thing to do in New York, besides save it? What was your childhood dream job? Favorite Disney movie? How do you like your coffee?”

“Eat. Man, I love food. They have a little gumbo place in Harlem,” He kisses the tips of his fingers. “Best Southern food up here. As for my childhood dream job - man, I love birds. I wanted to train raptors, rehabilitate them...or I wanted to be a chef ‘cause I enjoy food. All kinds. Man, I haven’t seen a Disney movie in ye -- well, that’s not true because Spider-Nerd made us watch Toy Story 4 the other day...but probably a tie between Fantasia and The Rescuers. And coffee? That I take black with room so I can add cream and three sugars.”

“Good memory skills. Want more difficult ones now?”

“Oh yeah, I’m ready,” He rubs his hands together with a smile spreading quickly across his face.

“If Stark does a superhero calendar, which month do you want and what are you wearing for it?” His laughter is loud and boisterous, his hands braced on his knees before looking at you.

“Whew - went right for it, didn’t you? Are you asking everyone this question? Can I be there when you ask Cap and Bucky? I bet you twenty bucks that Tony says he’s thought of it before and he wants December cause of the gift he is.” You lean over and make a note of it in your notebook.

“I’ll take that bet. I counter with he doesn’t want to do one but he’d like to be July.” He extends his hand and you shake it firmly, mustering up a serious expression as you did so before settling in to wait for his answer.

“Man, okay. Uh, I think I’d like to be August. Not as hot but not cold either, with those pre-fall feelings. And I’m getting the tightest red shirt I own, along with my favorite pair of jeans. But I could be persuaded to dress sexier - nice fitted suit and tie.”

“Why’d you join the Air Force?”

“I just wanted to help people. And I wanted to see the world. My mom was okay with it since she figured the Air Force weren’t the first to deploy and that I’d be mostly out of harm’s way. But I enjoyed the regimen, the camaraderie I had with the other guys. But when my wingman, my partner Riley, died -- you, you know I just didn’t want to be apart of that anymore after that. I decided I’d get more out of life if I helped other soldiers deal with their problems.” He pauses, searching your face for something before continuing. “I met Steve one day when we were both out running. I knew who he was, but I also knew he was just like any other soldier who had come home and was looking to adjust - looking to find his place.”

“So you did what came naturally - you offered a sympathetic ear and some words for him to think on.”

“Yep. And, honestly, I enjoyed getting to know Steve Rogers. I think we have a lot in common, just morals and being a good soldier, but it’s more important to be a better man than all of that.”

“You really admire him.”

“Of course I do. He’s my best friend. I wouldn’t trade what I had to go through - what we all had to go through - to have it done any other way. I mean, it was brutal in some places, but I’d do it all again -- I sure as hell don’t want to, but I would.”

“May I ask why you chose to follow Steve instead of, say, Col. Rhodes? Both military, both having friends who sort of go rogue, both just wanting to do the right thing…”

“Rhodey and I are good friends, don’t get me wrong. But he had a lot on his plate: The military. Ross. Tony. Still dealing with the fallout of SHIELD in the upper ranks. I would follow Rhodey for a lot of things, but I won’t fight against any of the other Avengers again unless they’re mind-controlled or some shit.”

“Peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese?” You ask softly, giving him a kind smile.

“Peanut butter and jelly.” He says with his own soft smile.

“Can I pet Redwing?” He perks up at that question.

“Yeah, come on, I’ll show him to you.”

“Maybe the suit too?” You tease, gathering up your notebook and phone, shoving the latter into your pocket before the extra pens you’d brought got shoved right along in there. You carefully pick up the recorder, holding it aloft as Sam holds open his bedroom door.

Once you’ve petted Redwing, letting Sam fly it around you. Luckily you were smart enough to stop at your room first for your camera, most of the time focusing on the light in Sam’s eyes as he looks at his little buddy before Steve and Clint come into the hanger, Clint playfully throwing a few rocks as Redwing dodges them, the three of them joking as they stand in a semi-circle and watch. All the while you watch them through the lens, happily snapping pictures before you notice Bucky leaning against the hangar door a handful of feet away. He looks like he’s a model, a small smile on his face that’s half turned away from you with one hand - his metal hand - tucked into the pocket of his black, worn-looking jacket. You snap a few pictures before he turns his head towards you, the smile disappearing. You snap a picture anyway before lowering the lens and smiling as warmly at him as you can. He gives a little nod before pushing off the door and disappearing around the corner.

Clint drags you to the archery range after that, carefully digging through his arrows as he answers question after question.

“Okay, Clint, last one: If Stark does a superhero calendar, which month do you want and what are you wearing for it?” Clint snickers, his shoulders gently moving.

“Really? Well, alright then. I think I’d like to be January. And I think I want to be dressed in a velvet eggplant jacket with a black shirt and some black underwear.” You nearly snort when he wiggles his eyebrows and gives you a lazy smile, twirling an arrow.

“Boxers? Briefs? Thong?”

“I think some nice fitting briefs. Don’t want to make too many people jealous if I bust out my thong…”

“I certainly learned a whole lot about you, so thank you for that, Clint.”

“Anytime, sweet cheeks. Anytime.” He leads you back to the living room for your last interview of the morning before you all break for lunch. “Wanda! I got your girl here!” Wanda is standing by the hallway, a cup in each hand with a smile gracing her too-pretty face. She gestures with her head, her red hair swinging slightly. Clint doesn’t let you go initially, pushing his cheek closer to you.

“Alright, alright, Mr. Sweet cheeks.” You concede, kissing his cheek before watching him saunter past the others, tossing himself down onto the couch beside Scott with a chuckle.

“Good luck!” Sam hollers, making Wanda glare at him for a second before you follow her down the hall.

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Wanda is teaching you a few words in Romanian when you emerge from her room for lunch.

Lunch is already laid out as you repeat “Nu, mulţumesc” until she nods.

“And that means?”

“No, Thank you.” You answer obediently.

“Now, combine everything.”

“Ce fasi! Mici sărutări pentru tine în această după-amiază. Nu, mulțumesc. Aș prefera să fac un tort.” [Little kisses to you all this afternoon. No, thank you. I'd rather have a cake.]

Bucky and Natasha shake their heads with a smile.

“And that means?”

“What are you doing? Little kisses to you all this afternoon. No, thank you. I’d rather have a cake.” Wanda chuckles out, giving your arm a loving pat.

“It was something my mother always said to my father. He said little kisses to us all and she said she would rather have cake. Y/N said it beautifully. Very naturally.”

“I am a wonderful parrot.” You smile out before Tony pokes his head in and whistles.

“Lunch!”

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Bruce’s interview after lunch is filled with long pauses, his answers thought out and sometimes not what you expected. He takes you through his lab and then he suggests a short jaunt around the garden to finish the interview. When he excuses himself, you stay in the French-style garden, snapping a few scenic pictures and unwinding a bit from the interviews of today.

With four down, you’re feeling pretty perky about the whole series, trying not to think about the 25 or 26 more interviews you needed to do. Wandering through, your fingertips brushing over the perfectly trimmed hedges before spotting a few wild sunflowers towards the path leading into the woods. Carefully kneeling you take a picture, frowning as it’s just not quite right. You settle on your belly, one foot rising into the air as you refocus the camera and nail the picture you wanted!

You don’t even realize that Bucky is taking your picture as you grin at your camera, entirely too pleased with your results before you regain your footing and trek back to the compound.

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You shoot for six interviews the next day, just trying to get them done before the Guardians, Thor and Captain Danvers arrive...Tony having casually mentioned recording a video group interview of sorts before you left. Which didn’t stress you out at all.

Not.

Hope’s interview was witty and broadening...how she described quantum physics (which just led to more questions) was outstanding.

Scott’s was quick-witted, dry and peppered with his pretty broad knowledge of electrical engineering, Captain America, and songs from the 80s. He was very open about his conviction and time in prison, his decision to be ankle monitored to be with his daughter, and how he feels all of this may affect her in the future. He’s an achingly good person and you add him to your “Protect At All Costs” mental list you’ve started.

Steve is stiff. He doesn’t see the humor in your calendar question (you have to show him the Australian firefighter one with the baby animals for reference) to which he begrudgingly requests the month of May and says a casual suit with flowers in lieu of a pocket square. You suggest him sitting slightly towards a camera, painting a field full of flowers...he seems to like the idea and it makes him relax a little - and you’ll have to thank Sam for that tidbit of information he’d given you. You ask Steve a lot about his life before Captain America, how he thinks it would have gone differently if Dr. Erskine had lived, and what he initially liked about the modern world. He tells you about art school and Bucky, getting beat up on a near regular basis in alleys all over Brooklyn, how he discovered Mr. Rogers’ TV show early one afternoon after moving into the compound.

Vision, on the other hand, doesn’t have a lot of life experience to draw upon but he’s a wealth of knowledge. He talks about JARVIS and ULTRON, the differences between the two of them and Tony, he talks about how DUM-E knows who he is and how loyal he is to Tony. He then shows you who DUM-E is, the bot jerkily “shaking” your hand as you marvel over how not just Tony has evolved but his creations as well. Do you coo how smart and handy the robot it? Of course. But it’s worth it to see the robot nodding as you talk about how smart his dad is. DUM-E then gives you a tiny circuit board before you leave, Vision remarking that he likes you very much to have done so. You scribble down a note to ask Tony if that’s okay that you have that.

Peter is your last interview before dinner, and holy cow, everyone in the compound is a fucking genius. Peter tells you about his web fluid, the neighborhood where he’s grown up, and it’s clear how much he admires Tony from how reverently he speaks. Their relationship, you notice, is a little more parent/child than a mentor/mentee relationship. It’s adorable with a tinge of awkward. Peter shows you pictures he’s taken swinging all over New York and you show him where he can get a Spider-Man ice cream. He asks you just as many questions as you do and you chuckle when he refers to nearly every movie before his date of birth as “a really old movie”. You show him a few Charlie Chaplin shorts to show him what exactly “really old” is. He, in turn, shows you Tik Tok videos that you both laugh over.

“Do you like serial killer stuff?” He asks as you both head to the dining room for dinner, tucking his phone back into his pocket, both sets of your sneakers squeaking ever so slightly on the expensive floors.

“I think most women do.”

“Why do you think that?” His little focused face is adorable, trying to link it up in his head.

“Women always think they can do things better. And they’re usually right, just to let you know.” He nods seriously. “We’re outraged by it but intrigued. Pretty sure women can get blood out of just about anything - I’ve gotten red nail polish out of khaki pants by sheer will alone. It’s different for everyone, I guess. But mostly I think it helps us to collectively learn how to plausibly commit the perfect murder while we drink wine from the couch and shove snacks in our faces. And possibly solve a crime in our heads.”

“Huh,” Peter’s brow is still furrowed but he’s nodding his understanding. Peter looks up to find Bucky studying you, and when you look at Peter, he’s just smiling. “Excuse me.” You nod, watching him high-five Shuri before you feel someone by your side. Dr. Strange gestures to your ever-moving seat, which tonight is between Okoye and Wanda.

“Thank you,” you murmur gratefully, not noticing the quick clench of Bucky’s hand as he moves around Strange to his own seat opposite Natasha.

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Rhodey steals you after dinner, Sam teasing him as they disappear to his office.

“Come on, man. Just talk to her.”

“Shut up, bird brain.”

“She’s pretty nice. I was concerned she was just gonna go after us, with the questioning, but she eased into it and just didn’t focus on the darker stuff. She seems to want to get to know us as people.”

“It’s weird, huh?” Clint comments as Hope nods.

“It’s nice to be treated like a person. Not someone who’s infallible or holier than thou…” T’Challa remarks from his spot in the plush crimson chair across from them.

“Very inclusive, as well,” Okoye adds as Shuri and Peter come skidding into the room, Peter holding a tablet.

“What are you two doing?” Steve asks as he arches one blonde eyebrow high at the two.

“Nothing,” Shuri says smoothly, Peter nodding a few times too many when Tony comes into the room.

“Why is there a herd of deer in my hanger?” Both teens shoot off towards the patio door, laughing the whole time. “I don’t know what they did, but Redwing is acting like a herding dog with them, so you might need to go check that out, Sam.”

“Damn kids, I swear...I’m gonna need to squash me a spider…” He mutters loudly, heading briskly for the hanger.

“So, you gonna talk to our little journalist?” Tony smirks down at Bucky, which makes him scowl at the billionaire.

“I’m supposed to do that tomorrow,” He grumbles, making Tony smirk harder.

“You know that’s not what I mean, Tin Man.” Bucky wisely says nothing as he tries to calm his ramping up heart rate. “Even the kids have noticed you looking.”

“He has some competition,” Vision adds, smiling at Wanda who tilts her head slightly but returns his smile. “DUM-E.” Tony snorts, shaking his head as he turns away to gather himself.

“The robot? So the two are evenly matched then.” Natasha chuckles out, taking a healthy sip of her gin and tonic as she meets Bucky’s eyes.

“Nat, that’s not fair. The robot shook her hand and gave her a circuit board. He’s leagues ahead of Buck.” Clint teases, taking Natasha’s drink and taking his own healthy sip before handing it back. Bucky looks at his best friend, who is trying desperately to stop his shoulders from shaking with his laughter.

“40’s you would be ashamed. A robot who can’t talk?”

“Bucky Barnes vs a Roomba!” Shuri comments from behind Tony before making a break for it down the hallway with Sam hot on her tail. T’Challa, Okoye, and Bucky all point Sam down the hallway where she disappeared to when he comes panting into the living room.

“Now me is more inclined to hit your once-asthmatic ass for being the little shit you are,” Bucky growls at Steve, getting up from the couch turning to head to his room, only to freeze when he sees you and Rhodey standing by Peter in the door frame to the patio.

“Do you know there are deer in the hanger? And are you guys running a weird robot/human fight club?”

“Is that all you heard?” Tony asks, turning around and slinging his arm over the back of the couch with a smile flirting on his lips.

“We picked up the pace getting in here when we heard Shuri shout Bucky Barnes vs a Roomba. I mean, I’ve seen a raccoon with a machine gun, so that would have just been something else to add to the Weird Shit I’ve Seen list.” You press your lips together hard to keep from laughing at Rhodey’s nonchalant attitude and suddenly, Bucky isn’t as pissy as before. Well, he is - but at his friends - not at you.

Shit.

It’s been three days. Three fucking days and he’s smitten.

“Goodnight,” He says gruffly before retreating down the hall.

He’s nearly in his room, so he doesn’t hear you ask if you’ve done something wrong.

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Tagging: @jewelofwinter @sgtjbuccky @jaamesbbarnes @thewhiterabbit42 @nobodys-baby-now @unleashthemidnight @stay-frosty-royal-unicorn @chelsea072498 @clockworkmorningglory @sakurablossom4 @marichromatic @blondecoffeecake @ourloveisforthelovely @whinywingedwinchester @feelmyroarrrr

NOTE: Found the pic online and edited it, props to Google and all rights/privileges/ownership goes to who took the photo and to Marvel who made up all these characters. 

[PART 2]

[lazy-cat-corner]

Can I offer you a nice heggcanon in this trying time?

While the release date of Endgame creeps closer, everyone here has been on edge from every corner of the fandom so I want to offer something to help take our minds off of it for a minute.

What’s a heggcanon? It’s the only way I could make it punny. Though, it’s not a pun if I just made up the word. Anyway, I guess I have to make an Avengers headcanon and somehow incorporate an egg in the story. 

Words: 1k

Rating: General

While The Avengers don’t really celebrate Easter, the idea of it sounds kind of fun. Especially after everything they went through. So, why not make their usual Sunday meetups more...special!

This turned into less of a gathering and more of a party. Before Pepper knew it, she had a guest list of some close friends and people they knew who agreed to come along. People started asking if there would be an egg hunt and Tony took it as a challenge.

He was going to make it the best egg hunt of the year. One not just for the kids, but where everyone would have to team up to find the eggs.

These eggs aren’t made of candy. Instead, they’ll be drones that will scatter away or slip out of your fingers if you’re not careful enough. The idea of it made him laugh and it surprised him to realize he hasn’t done that as often. Getting caught up in his work and anticipate the surprised faces he’ll get from everyone.  

Tony was stunned to get a message from Shuri asking if he needed help coming up with the eggs. Did he invite Wakanda? How did she know he was planning the egg hunt? He began a scan through his computers to find any traces of her spying and scratched his head to find nothing.

“I told her about it, I thought it was cute,” Pepper let it slip out at dinner.

“Why would you do that and give her a sporting chance?”

Pepper snorted. She set her spoon down with a shrug. “I didn’t think it was anything top secret. We were talking about how things are getting better and you’ve been working on projects, again. Maybe this party would be good for everyone,” she mused.

Tony softened at her comment and agreed to let it go. She’s right, the whole point of this Easter party was to bring a bit more fun back. 

Tony agreed to let Shuri help design some of the eggs as long as she kept it a secret and doesn’t participate. It would seem like cheating if she played a game she knew the loop-holes for.

Happy refused to wear the bunny suit despite the fact Tony told him it would make Clint and Scott’s kids smile so they resorted to putting bunny ears on DUM-E.  

After sharing a delicious lunch, everyone gathered around outside with their families and friends teamed up and ready to participate in, what they assumed to be, an ordinary egg hunt.

Which is how everyone tilted their heads when they heard Tony and Shuri’s announcement. There are 100 eggs hidden in the compound (inside and outside) and there’s a trick to turn off their little “quirks” as Shuri so cleverly put it. Winner gets a full course meal and open bar at one of Tony’s favorite restaurants. He could see ears perking and heads turning at that. The change in plans and raise in stakes suddenly grabbed everyone’s interest. 

“Remember guys, no powers. No weapons,” he had his finger to his temple. “You’re gonna have to use your brains to crack these eggs. And any broken eggs is an automatic demerit. That means you, Pointbreak,” Tony jabbed a finger to Thor’s stoic face. “You’re gonna have to rely on someone who doesn’t toss a tablet on the ground because they forgot the password. Loki?” He turned to the smug demigod.

“I’ll do my best,” Thor’s brother said with a smile that made Tony remember the trickster can’t accomplish anything without cheating. Maybe letting them team up wasn’t the best idea.

“Some of us aren’t computer geniuses,” Bucky said with his arms crossed. “How do you expect us to have a shot at winning?”

“Giving up already?” Sam threw an elbow at his friend’s chest.

Everyone bounced on the balls of their feet watching the timer count down. As soon as the number hit zero, everyone split up in their directions and bolted for the first sign of the drone-eggs.

Before the game started, T’Challa, Nakia and Okoye already told Tony they were going to sit this one out. Knowing his sister, she wouldn’t have made the game fair for him and he didn’t have much interest in embarrassing himself in front of everyone.

No surprise, The Guardians ignored all the rules and Drax ended up cracking most of the eggs before Gamora and Nebula got a hold of the rest in hopes they could salvage what’s left behind.

Natasha, along with Clint and Scott’s family were the first to figure out how to turn off the eggs they caught. Tony was impressed to hear it was Cassie who came up with the solution first.

Thor and Loki spent more time bickering than working together to find the eggs. That left Bruce by himself trying his best to keep Korg and Valkyrie from splitting up from the group and wandering off. It’s a shame. Tony was putting his money on them to win at least second place.

By the time Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Wanda figured out how to turn off the egg, they didn’t have much time to collect a lot left. 

Tony was both proud and amazed that Peter and his friends managed to collect the most eggs.

“We found out there was a pattern how all the eggs were hidden,” MJ pulled up her phone and revealed a map written up with pinpoints marked all over the compound. “Once we found the first five, we noticed they kind of fit together like a code. Plug the codes in the URL address etched in the egg, and you get a treasure map.”

Tony's mouth was open wide for everyone to see. Apparently unaware of this little secret.

“I-” Without another word, he turned to Shuri who shrugged her shoulders casually.

“I didn’t think anyone would figure that out,” she answered his unspoken question.

“Hold on! How do they win? You said no weapons!” Peter Quill points an accusing finger to the group.

“A phone is not a weapon,” Ned points out. “It’s a tool.” 

“Clearly, you haven’t used them correctly,” Shuri quipped with a smirk.

Edit: Forgot to add Strange, but it seems likely he wouldn’t be up for an easter egg hunt and probably left after dessert. LOL!

[endw1gast]

🎉

Send “🎉” to attack my muse with an obscene amount of confetti

En Dwi woke up determined to organize the best party ever. He just had to prepare the guests list with Topaz. But then, the sliding door of his room opened and he found himself facing Peter Quill. 

"Hey Star-Boy, what are you do- oWOHOH! HEY! I just got dressed!" En shook his golden robe to make all the confetti fall. “Aaarh!...arr!” He looked at the mountain of confetti at his feet. "Woah. What's going on?! We're celebrating something?!"

[badbloodmagic]

I mean... kind of.

Put “I mean…” in my inbox if your muse has masturbated thinking about my muse. Put “I mean…KIND OF” if it was on more than one occasion.

"….Well, uh… It’s kinda hard not to I guess."

[celestialmantdonna]

@thenexusofsouls continued from here

Sure, the Guardians had made it to Tony Stark's Halloween party. After fighting sixteen different kind of space monsters and praying the whole time, but they made it. Fortunately, a messy, disheveled apperance wasn't unusual in Halloween, which was convenient.

Groot grabbed a handful of candy the moment Tony offered, and in exchange he gave Tony the orange lollipop he carried with him.

Mantis picked a little candy from the bowl as well, and Drax walked toward the bar as soon as Tony pointed in its direction. Quill wanted to drag Gamora to the dance floor, but he wanted to show appreciation for Tony's costume first. He smiled and patted the man's back, though he was careful not to poke Tony's eye out with the fake arrow protruding from his throat.

"Great party! Man, your costume gave me the feels. Made me feel all nostalgic," he said, lifting a palm to keep Pamela Voorhees' fake hand in place. "We're so glad we get to travel in the world of your creation. I'm sure what we'll see will defy explanation."

"I understood that reference," Gamora said with a proud smirk, having done extensive research about Tony's own costume. She had taken advantage of her green skin to dress up as Miss Argentina from Beetlejuice.

"Yup. Exactly," Rocket said to Tony when he tried to guess his costume.

"You too!" Mantis exclaimed when Iron Man said they looked great. She tugged at his sleeve playfully. "Purple suits you. And the hat!"

Mantis' reasoning to pick her own costume had been simple: she had learned that Lily Munster cared deeply about her family, and that she always tried to be supportive to make their lives better. Mantis could relate to that... and also, the pale pink dress was pretty. She fumbled with the white streak of her black wig, trying to chew on the candy she had popped in her mouth.

"So who's Natasha supposed to be?" Quill asked. "I must have missed that one. I left Earth in the eighty-eight."

"Hocus Pocus," Gamora stated, relying once again on the research she had done. Though of course, she didn't know that the character's name wasn't Hocus Pocus...

(Yes! Quill is Jack from Friday the 13th because... Kevin Bacon XD Gamora is Miss Argentina from Beetlejuice, Drax is Michael Myers, Groot is Sam from Trick 'r Treat, Rocket said a quote from The Addams Family "This is my costume, I'm a homicidal maniac, they look just like everyone else", and Mantis is Lily Munster indeed! I was going to add more references but it would feel like giving you homework XD Glad you liked it! You did great!)

[celestialmantdonna]

When Wanda dropped the illusion, all the Guardians reacted, but only Quill and Thor seemed to panic slightly, probably because they knew what healthy humans looked like better than the other Guardians.

Thor knew that Wanda had been a beautiful young woman when she joined the Avengers: dark hair, dark makeup that couldn't quite conceal her rosy cheeks once she started eating properly with the Avengers, and now... she was still beautiful, but she didn't look healthy at all. She was too pale, too thin, and she looked sleep deprived as well as miserable and despondent.

The dark stain over her heart was... troubling to look at. It's poisoning her, Thor thought.

When the book materialized before their eyes, Mantis tried to hide behind Drax. The Guardians fell silent, and even though the whispers of the Darkhold could be heard, the god of thunder was more interested in everything Wanda just said, feeling so sorry for his old friend.

"I did not know you had sons." Before he left Earth to be with the Guardians, Thor was certain that the woman didn't have any children, unless... Allfathers. He should've asked her about her well-being at Iron Man's funeral. "Were you... with child, at Stark's memorial?"

Mantis knew what happened, but she didn't say anything, letting Wanda explain it instead if so she wished.

As Thor spoke with Wanda, Quill could hear a voice. A voice that no one else seemed to hear, coming from his room. It called his name.

"Peter."

He didn't answer, he simply froze.

"Peter!"

Quill's eyes filled to the brim with tears.

"Gamora...?"

His expression was numbly hopeful as he started to walk toward his room.

"Quill!" Drax called, and grabbed him by the arm. "Where are you going?"

"Huh?" Quill blinked, turning his head to face the Kylosian. "Uh... Nowhere. I... I just thought I heard... I... I think I'm still drunk."

"You look like you have seen a ghost."

"What are you guys doing?" Rocket demanded.

"Quill was going back to bed," Drax said.

"I was not going back to bed!"

Nebula crossed her arms and Groot rolled his eyes as the three Guardians started arguing.

"Guys, enough!" Mantis intervened, silencing them. "We must focus. Wanda needs our help."

What Have I Become? || closed reply

@thiscrimsonsoul continued from here

Mantis knew things would never be the same, not after everything Thanos had done to the galaxy. To the family Mantis had found when she wasn't even looking for one. She had always known the galaxy was cruel, so much so that Mantis only sought to make it softer with her gentle disposition. But, as she witnessed the aftermath of Thanos' plan, Mantis realized she would hardly be able to make a difference. She pushed the thought aside; after all, a small difference was still a difference.

Even though the galaxy had been permanently changed, Mantis enjoyed little moments like these, letting her mind wander while she would tend to her plants. She hummed a melody, her hands arranging the leaves calmly. Focused as she was, she didn't notice there was someone new aboard the Benatar. She was startled by a loud knock on her bedroom door, and she frowned slightly before reaching out to open it.

"Wanda?" Mantis asked. What was Wanda Maximoff doing in space? And how did she get into their ship?

Mantis wasn't too familiar with Wanda, but as the young woman threw her arms around her, begging for help, Mantis hugged her back almost instinctively. A victim of the Snap holding another in a moment of need, now that they were something other than mere dust.

"Wanda," she repeated, keeping her voice soft. "What...?"

Wanda's energy revealed she was unwell, so Mantis knew her healthy, youthful appearance was an illusion. Wanda was in so much pain... She was grieving, and she felt tremendous loss, guilt and overwhelming loneliness. Mantis rubbed Wanda's back in an attempt to soothe her, though she refused to use her powers for now. Sometimes people just needed a hug and a sympathetic ear.

"It's okay, you are safe. Thor is here, if you are looking for him, and... I am here, too. You are not alone," she said, hoping Wanda would understand that whatever had happened, she didn't have to go through it alone.

[chaoticrebels]

My Muses

Canon

Steve Harrington {Stranger Things, Dead By Daylight}

Eddie Munson {Stranger Things}

Billy Hargrove {Stranger Things}    

Ji-Woon Hak {Dead By Daylight}

Yoichi Asakawa {Dead By Daylight}

Leon S. Kennedy {Dead By Daylight, Resident Evil}

Loki {MCU}

Peter Quill/Starlord {MCU}

Peter Parker/Spiderman {The Amazing Spiderman / MCU}

Wednesday Addams {Wednesday, The Addams Family}

Peter Pan {Disney, Once Upon A Time}  

Tinkerbell {Disney, Once Upon A Time} 

Blue {Jurassic World}  

Jim Hawkins {Disney, Once Upon A Time}

Ariel {Disney, Once Upon A Time}

Jack Frost {Rise Of The Guardians}

Kitty Song Covey {XO, Kitty! To All The Boys I Loved Before}

Dae Heon Kim {XO, Kitty!}

Min Ho {XO, Kitty!}

Nathan Drake {Uncharted}

Ellie {The Last Of Us}

Lara Croft {Tomb Raider} 

Brian Kinney {Queer As Folk}  

Luke Patterson {Julie & The Phantoms}  

Reggie Peters {Julie & The Phantoms}  

Alex Mercer {Julie & The Phantoms}  

10K {Z Nation}  

Original Character

Violet Blair Munson {Stranger Things}

Carter Harrington {Stranger Things}  

Twyla Luna Nyx {Stranger Things}

Dakota Harrington {Stranger Things}

Kairi Sykes {Stranger Things, Dead By Daylight}  

Caspian Hargrove {Stranger Things}

Roxxi Hargrove {Stranger Things}  

Nikita Thorne {Stranger Things} 

Styles McKenzie Corbyn {Stranger Things}

Kimo Jae {MCU}

Storm Lokison {MCU}

Holden Stark {MCU}

Raine Wynter Barnes {MCU}

Luna Jessenia {Disney, Once Upon A Time}

Roxas Morningstar {Fandomless}  

Ryker Kaiden Phoenix {Fandomless}  

Ashley Jamie Moore {Fandomless}

Dimitri Nikolaevich Graves-Romanov {Fandomless}  

Calista Lokelani Dreamtide {Fandomless}

Gavin Zane Rossi {Fandomless}  

Myka Ditka {Fandomless}

Rory Novalie Graves {Fandomless}

Jakai Holden Alexus {Fandomless}

Sereia Acqua Celestial {Fandomless}  

Laney Rayne Rivers {Fandomless}  

Phoenix Akira Storm {Fandomless}  

Kiani Jaidyn Parker {Fandomless}  

Leilani Akela Parker {Fandomless}  

Jasper Kyrie Parker {Fandomless}  

Private

Jace Corbin Wells {The Flash, Stranger Things}  

Parker Caspian Moore {The Flash}  

Harrison ‘Harry’ Wells {The Flash}  

Request

Mike Wheeler {Stranger Things}

Chrissy Cunningham {Stranger Things}  

Barry Allen {The Flash}  

Jack Sparrow {Pirates Of The Caribbean}  

Daryl Dixon {The Walking Dead} 

Paul ‘Jesus’ Rovia {The Walking Dead}   

Test

Taylor Bourne {Fandomless}  

Noah Sykes {Stranger Things}

Special Guest

Matteo Alister Drakos {Stranger Things}

Makena Taylor Monroe {Stranger Things}  

Kataleya Rose Bynes {Stranger Things}  

Jupiter Morgan Winters {Stranger Things}  

Exclusive

Kas {Stranger Things}

Matthew Joshua Brooks {Fandomless}  

Muses Now On SlytherinTragedy

Draco Malfoy {Harry Potter}

Regulus Black {Harry Potter}

Nyxia Kalea Atreides-Nightstar {Harry Potter}

Anastasia Rose Nott {Harry Potter}

Romeo Asher Ripley {Harry Potter}

Raena Lily Potter {Harry Potter}  

Akira Skye Rayne {Harry Potter}

Galexia Cordelia Malfoy {Harry Potter}

Discord Muses

Jack Dawson {Titanic} - Canon

Wanda Maximoff {MCU} - Canon

Billy Kaplan {MCU} - Canon

Rio Vidal {MCU} - Canon

Tiger Lily {Disney, Once Upon A Time} - Canon

Scotty Valens {Cold Case} - Canon

Ransom Caiden Ryder-Perez {Fandomless} - OC

Luka Rian McKinsey {Fandomless} - OC

Andrew Noah Brooks {Fandomless} - OC

Zachary Demetrius Brooks {Fandomless} - OC

Ember Thorn Nightingale {Disney, Once Upon A Time} - OC

Amber Rose Nightingale {Disney, Once Upon A Time} - OC

Hermione Granger {Harry Potter} - Canon

Luna Lovegood {Harry Potter} - Canon

Cho Chang {Harry Potter} - Canon

Lucius Malfoy {Harry Potter} - Canon

Narcissa Malfoy {Harry Potter} - Canon

Severus Snape {Harry Potter} - Canon

Druella Black {Harry Potter} - Canon

Daneiris Lieke Black {Harry Potter}- OC

Ashlyn Rose Malfoy {Titanic + Harry Potter Crossover} - OC

Jaeden Andrew Malfoy {Titanic + Harry Potter Crossover} - OC

Kaeden Jack Malfoy {Titanic + Harry Potter Crossover} - OC

James Severus Potter-Malfoy {Harry Potter} - OC

Scorpius Remus Potter-Malfoy {Harry Potter} - OC

Lily Narcissa Potter-Malfoy {Harry Potter} - OC

Luna Aquila Burke {Harry Potter} - OC

Cedric Draco Burke {Harry Potter} - OC

Rhys Alexei Malfoy-Dawson {Titanic + Harry Potter Crossover} - OC

NPCS

Marz Winters

Luca Drakos

Niko Thorne

Keeley Evans

Jay Rathaway

                   CLICK THE MUSE’S NAME FOR THEIR BIOS. :)

[badbloodmagic]

Are we like Kevin Bacon now?

[badbloodmagic]

Why is Peter such an ass?

"Just one of my many qualities."

[celestialmantdonna]

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[celestialmantdonna]

Mantis had initially been unaware about what she was inadvertently uncovering by using her powers on Vossler. There was a quiet, persistent rumble at the back of her mind, but she would not let herself become distracted by it. She was not done yet.

When Basch asked her if she could make Vossler confess without hurting him, Mantis simply nodded. The quick look Gamora gave her implied that Mantis was supposed to be careful with what she told him, but it was true. She could make him confess, though Mantis couldn't promise that his ego wouldn't end up bruised. It didn't matter. Mantis had faced consequences for defending her friends. Vossler would face consequences as well.

Her eyes flickered from Basch to Ashelia when she asked him how that would affect the aid that Vossler's father would lend to Raminas. Mantis didn't know which ramifications this could have for Dalmasca, but she figured she could get Vossler's father to... understand her point of view, in case he didn't see it.

With that, Mantis and Gamora calmly made their way to the dungeons, meanwhile Quill stayed in the room with Basch and Ashelia.

"So..." He shoved his hands in his pockets and tipped his head toward the door. "I'm gonna check on Rocket to see if there's any progress with the ship. Are you guys gonna stay here or...?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Mantis had never visited the dungeons before, but she knew exactly where to find them.

"How do you know where the dungeons are?"

"I can tell Munoh is near," Mantis said. Speaking made her teeth hurt and only then did Mantis realize that she had been clenching her jaw. Deep down, she was nervous and she felt unsafe. "If I knew how I know, I would tell you."

"Mantis–"

"I know, I know I lied about Ego's intentions," Mantis said, wrapping her arms around her torso. "I am sorry. I do not blame you for not trusting me."

"That is not what I was going to say," Gamora replied with a soft sigh. "You only said to us what Ego told you to say. You made things right and you helped us. I was going to say that... I know you are scared." She paused, recalling how Mantis had hugged her at the tavern after hugging Quill. "But... you have managed to make a difference. To break a cycle. This... problem, isn't new but nothing has been done before. Until now. Many people will get the justice they deserve because of you."

"Their pain is not about me," Mantis said. "The damage he caused is already done."

"I know. But no one will be victimized by him again." Gamora placed a hand on Mantis' shoulder to stop her before they reached the dungeons. Mantis turned to face her and Gamora looked at her with the ghost of a smile. "I am proud of you," she said.

Mantis stilled and her eyes welled with tears. It had been so long since the last time she heard those words... She hugged Gamora and tried to keep her own emotions under control. Her abilties were needed at the moment.

The two guards refused to let them enter the dungeons, so Mantis, seeing that they weren't wearing helmets, grabbed them both by the chin. "You are happy to let us in. Now go to the King and let him know that Sir Azelas will confess," she said calmly, antennae aglow.

The guards did as she said and mere seconds later, Mantis and Gamora were inside the dungeons.

"I’ll no more answer you than I will the Occurian." Vossler's voice could be heard as they reached his cell.

Mantis wanted to stay away from him, but she stepped closer to the cell – not without smiling gently at Munoh and Soryn first. Discerning black eyes stared at the prisoner.

"Sir Azelas," she said with all the grace and politeness he had failed to show her. "I believe we got off to a bad start. Look at you... All forlorn in a cell. The right to speak freely is the only thing you would have left if it wasn't because I took it from you." She slipped a hand through the bars, her expression warm and inviting. "Come closer to me so I can undo my influence over you."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Seeing that  Reks was so surprised that Vossler had been arrested, Rocket couldn't help but pause for a moment and glance at him. "Yeah. Arrested. Where have you been, kid?" He was half joking, too focused on what he was doing. He had already fixed most of the things he broke, working deftly and uninterruptedly. He snorted, shaking his head. "A legacy knight? Well that makes sense, actually. I bet he hasn't earned shit in his life."

When everything was fixed, he started working on a small, green object, though he still listened to Reks. "Anyway, you can relax now. Like I said, dickhead's been arrested. He won't threaten you again, you won't lose your job because of him. Vossler turned the entire fuckin' Order against him, heh. I hope he's havin' fun."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Groot couldn't stop smiling. The lizards were wonderful, and he watched them wide-eyed. As soon as one of them licked his face, Groot erupted in a fit of happy, adorable giggles. He rubbed his cheek, stepping closer to the creatures, and held out his tiny hands.

"Hello," he repeated. "Is this a game? Oh! Can I play? Is it my turn now?" Groot believed he had to be chased by the lizards now, and he turned around, preparing to run, only to meet Drax's boot.

"You said you were going to pee," Drax said.

"I was going to pee... but later," Groot admitted. "I wanted to get revenge!"

"Revenge?"

"Yes! You told me I should learn how to hunt!"

"I was referring to hunting prey." Drax crossed his arms, staring at the young Guardian. "You must not venture out there on your own."

"But–"

"You are too small, you could get lost easily."

"I am right here," Groot retorted with a shrug as if to say don't you see?

Drax simply picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. Groot was not okay with this, because he wanted to play with the lizards.

"Draaaaax!"

"Let us take a walk and admire the palace."

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[celestialmantdonna]

Quill wasn't the most humble nor respectful guy alive, though if one asked him he would say he was both, but he did feel gratitude and respect toward Munoh. They helped Mantis even though they barely knew her, so they seemed to be a very kind being.

For a moment, Quill didn't understand why Munoh wanted the Guardians to help Dalmasca. He straightened, tension taking over. Anger pooled in his stomach, but he did not show it. Help Dalmasca? What? And why should they? It had been less than a day since their arrival and one of them had already experienced something as serious as an assassination attempt. Quill didn't have a lot of love for Dalmasca at the moment.

He did release a breath when Raminas said Basch would remain Knight Captain, though. When offered to attend Vossler's interrogation, Quill said he would rather stay away from him for now. He didn't disclose why he wanted to stay away from Vossler, but the Star-Lord had poor impulse control. He would probably attempt to beat up Vossler, but he didn't want to further escalate the situation, so he would simply go to the Guardians' room.

He needed to talk to his team and discuss what Munoh had said about them helping Dalmasca. The Guardians made their decisions together.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Mantis was glad to see how much Ashelia liked the makeup she was doing for her, and a smile appeared on her face.

"You are welcome!" Mantis said when Ashelia happily thanked her.

They weren't done, but before Mantis could put the mascara down, there was a knock on the door and Ashelia moved to open it to reveal Quill and Basch. Basch said he needed to talk to Ashelia in private, so Quill took Gamora to the balcony to give them space.

"What did you find out?" Gamora asked him.

"The King is... full of shit," Quill said, leaning against the balcony railing. "Tried to blame Basch when he's been the one turning a blind eye to Vossler's crap. Caelen's friend showed themself. Their name's Munoh."

"So they are real," Gamora whispered.

"Yeah, they looked pretty frickin' real to me. And they put the King in his place. Mantis was right," he said, wishing he had been there for her. "They'll interrogate Vossler now and... y'know, find out if anyone else is kissing his ass."

"And?"

"And what?"

"There's something you are not telling me," Gamora pointed out.

"Uh..." Quill's eyes darted around and he feigned an interest in his surroundings. "Wow, the view here is–"

"Peter."

"Munoh thinks we should help Dalmasca."

Gamora blinked. "What?"

"Yeah. My thoughts exactly."

"Peter, what if...?" Gamora glanced around and lowered her voice. "What if this was planned? These people are at war and they need help, but what if they did all this to get it? The attack on Mantis could have been a strategy. Attacking her without actually letting her get hurt to 'help her', and then asking for our help in return."

"Whoa, somebody's got trust issues," Quill said.

"Says the one who thought the assassination attempt was some sort of revenge for landing on the royal dock," Gamora snarked.

"Look, I told Munoh we'd repay them," Quill explained. "They didn't ask for anythin', I offered. Do you remember what I said to Rocket when he asked me why I'd want to save the galaxy?"

Gamora blinked as she recalled it. "You said, because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it."

"Yeah!" Quill's eyes widened. "If Dalmasca is swept away, we're fucked as well."

Gamora looked away in exasperation, but frowned slightly when she realized Mantis had not moved. She was still inside the room, in front of the dressing table, holding the mascara. Her eyes were on the mirror, though her absent gaze betrayed that she wasn't looking at her reflection. In fact, one would say she wasn't looking at anything.

Her face showed a neutral, distant expression. She didn't seem to acknowledge Quill's return, Basch's presence, she had not even turned to the door when Basch knocked. Mantis was lost inside her head. After all, how was she supposed to know that Ashelia's betrothed was Nabradian? No one told her, and she hadn't even learned that about Ashelia through her empathic abilities. Nabradia. She didn't know what the word meant, but it was an interesting name; it completely stole her attention.

Nabradia.

Her lips parted slightly and a feeling of urgency took over her, but she didn't move an inch.

Nabradia.

Something was churning in her gut. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes–

Quill and Gamora slowly approached her. They saw Mantis' face in the mirror, and in her eyes they spotted the faintest traces of green.

"Mantis?" Gamora asked, placing a hand on the empath's back.

Mantis blinked, black eyes regaining focus. Her head turned to the side and she smiled.

"Hey, Gamora! Oh, Peter, you're back!" She noticed the worried look on their faces, and her head tilted. "What?"

"Nothin', uh..." Quill shrugged and trailed off.

"Vossler is going to be interrogated," Gamora said, not wanting to alarm her. Mantis seemed to have no memory of the last few minutes, and Gamora didn't want to scare her further.

"Interrogated?" Mantis asked, finally putting the mascara down. "I'm going," she declared. "I could use my powers to make him tell the truth."

"I'll go with you," Gamora said.

"Captain," Mantis called to Basch, approaching him and Ashelia. "I am... unfamiliar with Dalmascan laws, so I am not sure what the best option would be – should I let sir Azelas deny his actions or should I make him confess?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Rocket's ears twitched when he was addressed by Reks, lifting a paw to wave dismissively. "Yup, everything's cool. Someone tried to take out my teammate, I'm living the dream," he replied sarcastically, before letting out a sigh. He couldn't stay angry around the young man for long, seeing how timid Reks was. "No, kid. I'm pissed. My team didn't let me claw Vossler's face off. He's been arrested, so you don't need to pretend you can stand him anymore. We all saw how he treated you."

Rocket continued working as he spoke, but he didn't seem to mind Reks' presence. "So what do you know about fuckface, here? He ain't around. No one will know you told me 'bout him if you do."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Revenge. By definition, it was the act of harming someone in return for a wrong suffered at their hands. Groot had seen the crossbow bolt. Trying to hurt his family was wrong. He wanted to reach out with his branches and grab Vossler by the ankles, show him that even though he had never faced consequences before, there would be consequences now. A smirk appeared on his face, round eyes narrowing because he was tough. He was a tough guy. The toughest, actually. He was revenge itself. He–

Groot gasped when he saw the lizards again, wonder taking over resentment as the creatures approached him, and he let out a giggle.

"Hello! Can I be your friend?"

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[celestialmantdonna]

In other circumstances, Quill would've tuned out, possibly inadvertently or possibly deliberately, after Raminas apologized to him. But after what happened, he needed to find out how many connections Vossler had.

In any case, there was clearly a history of turning a blind eye to Vossler's behavior. Star-Lord wasn't Dalmascan, but he had actually listened when Basch and Soryn discussed this matter back at the tavern. These people knew Vossler, not him. Was anyone really surprised that he thought he could get away with more and more until he saw himself as practically untouchable? The King was taking action now that Vossler's actions threatened to bring Dalmasca down with him.

He frowned slightly when Raminas appeared to blame Basch for the actions of Vossler. While it was true that at present Quill didn't trust Basch as much as he initially did, that didn't make him guilty. He wanted to open his mouth to speak in defense of Basch, but Caelen beat him to it. Apparently the King feared the might of the Kingdom of Missouri, and Quill's eyebrows shot up before he blinked. Sure, the weather in Missouri was crazy, at least from what he recalled, but–

His head lowered when Prince Caelen stated what Vossler had tried to do to the Princess. Raminas' reaction was positively infuriating. Impure? Quill wasn't a father. He wasn't even sure he was an adult personality-wise, but if he had a child (preferably with Gamora) he would do anything to keep them safe. Yet the King was worried about... bullshit. All of it.

This was a weird-ass planet.

When Raminas stripped Basch of his title, prompting Soryn and Caelen to protest, Quill's jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend the King's twisted 'logic'. Dismissing the reports of the guilty and punishing the innocent was a choice. Maybe it made sense according to Dalmasca's law, but if that were the case, Caelen and Soryn wouldn't look as unhappy as they did. Raminas couldn't risk a public trial? Are you shitting me right now? How much shit had been swept under the rug all these years?

Peter Quill's life had always been intertwined with the light. The colorful lights of the music performances he used to watch on TV. The dim lights of the hospital's waiting room. The blinding light of Yondu's M-Ship, right before Quill was abducted as a child. The purple glow of the Power Stone before he grabbed it with his bare hands, before the Guardians taught him how to share pain. The celestial light he had inherited from Ego. The light of the explosions as the Guardians obliterated Ego's planet, the lights of Yondu's funeral. The soft light of the stars the Guardians often gazed at. The light they saw earlier right before they landed. And now, the white light that flooded the throne room as the creature that saved Mantis revealed themselves.

Quill suspected that they were real the second Basch said he didn't think the Prince was crazy, but he didn't expect Munoh to show themselves to the King like that. He couldn't help but agree with everything Munoh said, and once they were done speaking, he cleared his throat.

"Munoh," he said as politely as he could. "I want to personally thank you for helping my friend and teammate. We won't forget what you did for her. If we can repay you in any way, we will." Quill stepped closer to the being, unafraid. "But for now, I am trying to find out how many people are willing to work for sir Azelas. People like him usually have connections, 'cause they're major cowards who can't stand on their own, and... if any of you suspect anything, now's the time to tell me."

This isn't over, he thought apprehensively.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

This is far from over, Gamora told herself as she carefully refrained from pacing, picking at her nails, cracking her knuckles or engaging in any habit that could betray her worry in front of the Princess. She blinked when the girl explained that she was about to get married in just a few days. Ashelia didn't seem happy... nor in love. An arrangement, Gamora thought with sad sympathy, though not without detachment.

Mantis smiled when Ashelia showed interest in makeup, and she ushered her to the dressing table. She helped Ashelia sit before picking some eyeshadow – soft colors worked best on pale skin, so Mantis chose a lovely rose gold hue for Ashelia.

"Close your eyes," she told Ashelia before starting to gently apply the eyeshadow. She idly started to hum Surrender by Cheap Trick for a moment. "This will make your eyes stand out more. This color is soft, less intense than other hues, in case you do not want to draw excessive attention to yourself. It is a good start before you try out more vibrant colors. You can open your eyes now," she said with a smile.

Offering Ashelia the mascara, Mantis picked up another to apply it to her own eyes and show the Princess how to do it. "This is for your lashes. You might want to open your mouth slightly, because doing so will stretch our skin, making it easier to apply... Like this." Her lips parted slightly and Mantis applied mascara to her already long, thick lashes, letting Ashelia do it herself so she would actually learn. "It will make your lashes appear darker!"

Gamora watched from a side with her arms crossed. Maybe Ashelia could be trusted – she was endearing, but Gamora remained wary.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

The Benatar was quiet. Awfully quiet. The Guardians had taken the Zune, and the noises of Rocket raging and destroying everything in sight had died down. With visible exhaustion, he sat down and glanced at the havoc. He wanted to tire himself out so he wouldn't have the energy to attack anyone else. Because Basch asked him to 'calm down' as if that were possible. As if someone trying to take out your friend was a minor nuisance that could be handled calmly.

He hated this place. He hated the people in it. He hated Vossler and pathetic fucks like him, and he hated the way Basch had been clueless. Basch didn't know his own 'friends'. Rocket found it rather laughable.

He hated the way Mantis only responded to his anger with more acceptance and affection. He hated the way the Guardians didn't let him push them all away. He hated how much he cared about them. He hated how scared he was, not of them, but for them. He hated how they loved him even when he fucked up, especially when he fucked up.

He hated feeling so forlorn. So helpless. So powerless. Maybe he was laughable in a way as well. He hated that, too. Rocket hated many things. He hated most things. But above everything else, he hated that he couldn't hate the Guardians. No matter what they did, no matter what they said, he couldn't bring himself to hate them.

They seemed to understand Rocket even when he couldn't understand himself. He wasn't like that to be a jerk, he was like that to protect himself. They knew he was volatile, and rude, and angry... and they stuck around. Like idiots. Of course Rocket would feel the urge to kill anyone who tried to hurt them.

Eventually, he got up from his seat and stretched both arms over his head. He had shit to do and even more shit to fix.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

The lizards were nice, but Groot was starting to get bored. Drax was quiet. Drax was always quiet whenever bad things happened to Mantis. The Kylosian warrior stared into space stoically, and Groot didn't understand why. He approached Drax, climbing onto his shoulder and placing his tiny hands on Drax's cheek.

"Sleep!" Groot exclaimed. He frowned when he realized it didn't work – if Mantis could do that, surely he could do it as well, right? "Sleep! Now! Sleep, Drax," he insisted, but it was futile.

Drax's booming laughter erupted from his throat, and Groot made an angry face.

"Don't laugh!"

"What are you doing, child?"

"I'm bored. Help me catch a lizard!"

"You need to learn how to hunt by yourself," Drax said solemnly.

Groot blinked.

"Hunt?"

"Yes."

"I don't wanna hunt them! I wanna play with them." The young Guardian stilled, then thought for a moment. Maybe he should learn how to hunt. A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he hopped down from Drax's shoulder. "Don't move, I'll be right back. I have to pee!"

Groot was tiny, small enough to make others look like giants, but he was brave and he loved his friends. And so the young Flora colossus started to wander, looking for the dungeons.

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."

[celestialmantdonna]

Star-Lord was furious. It showed in his eyes, in his body language, in the way his demeanor had changed. His smile and his jokes were nowhere to be seen. He was the leader of the Guardians, it was his duty to protect his team. It was his duty to keep them safe.

He knew they had saved him just as many times as he had saved them, but he still felt guilty; the Guardians chose to follow him, and the Missourian, usually flippant, wanted to protect them. He needed to be better, needed to be stronger for them. For Mantis, who avoided stepping on flowers so she would not damage them. The fact that someone tried to get rid of her like that made his blood boil.

Quill wasn't reacting impulsively for two reasons: one, he had seen Mantis getting hit in the head by flaming debris and survive, so he knew that hurting her wasn't that easy. And two, he had seen Vossler draw his sword against a fellow knight. There was also the fact that Mantis didn't want the Guardians to interfere, but Quill was too angry to care.

His eyes flickered to the source of the voice when Caelen spoke, and his apology seemed... genuine. A part of him wanted to be outraged after learning that apparently nothing like that had ever happened in Dalmasca, wondering why the hell it had to happen to Mantis but another part of him, one motivated by the tenuous voice of reason, forced him to stay somewhat composed.

"Yeah, well... Mantis says your friend helped her, so. Don't be sorry. She's scared, but she's fine. I wanna say thank you," he exclaimed to the air around him, trying not to look as ridiculous as he felt. "...Uh, assuming your friend is here," he said to Caelen. "If not, then do thank them for me when you see 'em."

As soon as the doors to the throne room opened, Peter Quill walked in with purpose and intention. Justice would be served – one way or another. If Dalmasca failed them, the Guardians would take the law into their own hands. Quill didn't think Vossler would be missed.

"Your majesty," he said curtly. "I take it that Captain Ronsenburg has told you about what happened earlier, but if not, I'll make it quick. Sir Azelas ordered an assassination attempt on my teammate, Mantis, who was already feeling sick to begin with. A guard tried to murder her while the rest of us were around the city, she kept proof that was given to Captain Ronsenburg." He tapped his fingers anxiously against the table. "Before being arrested, Sir Azelas also drew his sword against a fellow knight for good measure, which is the only reason why we believe the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca had nothing to do with this. Our teammate Rocket is working to fix our ship, we won't overstay our welcome."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

Gamora appeared somewhat amused as Ashelia stared at her, before complimenting her skin and hair. She resisted the urge to say that her skin had been altered and modified – part of her training as a 'daughter' of Thanos. But she knew the Princess was trying to be nice.

"Thank you," she replied graciously, allowing a smirk to tug at her lips.

Mantis, on the other hand, blinked in surprise at the unexpected compliment. She didn't think of herself as beautiful, but Ashelia had stated otherwise so guilelessly that a pink tint appeared on her cheeks.

"You too!" Mantis blurted out in return.

When Ashelia seemed to notice how uneasy the two women were, Gamora smiled. "We've come from very far. That is all," she remarked. The Princess seemed harmless, but it wasn't like the Guardians had many reasons to openly trust Dalmascans at the moment.

"Would you like me to do your makeup?" Mantis offered, looking at Ashelia with a smile. "Or I could show you how to do it yourself, if you'd like. I find it a highly beneficial method of self-expression."

Another Time, Another Place (A Hollow Universe In Space) || closed with tarnishedxknight

@tarnishedxknight continued from here

The Guardians stood there, letting Captain Basch formally introduce them to King Raminas. They all then bowed respectfully except for Rocket, who only did so because Gamora pushed his head down. They trusted Basch for the most part, as he assured them no one would hurt them after telling them to leave their weapons at the ship. Quill and Gamora were the first ones to leave theirs; Drax didn't want to leave his knives, but did so after Mantis looked at him, while Rocket pulled a comical amount of retractable weapons from his pockets.

As they followed Basch, Mantis had stayed behind for a moment to approach Vossler. She felt much better after Munoh sent her some calm energy, and she smirked at the man. Suddenly, her hand was on his cheek, her antennae aglow. "Whenever you open your mouth to say something unkind, you will wail like a baby. Honestly, it might be more coherent than anything else you have said," she whispered. She patted his cheek twice as if to seal her whimsical behest, and hurried to follow the Guardians as Basch guided them through the palace of Rabanastre.

Quill straightened and cleared his throat to speak to the King. Mantis took his hand; Quill was a little confused, but he allowed it since he knew she wasn't feeling great.

"Your Majesty," he said, once again lowering his voice in an attempt to mirror Basch's formal tone and presence, hoping it would make the King like him more. "We come in peace. We thank you for your time, and we apologize for occupying one of your docks. I think I have–" He stopped talking rather suddenly, and swallowed. "Uh... I think... I have..."

What was happening was that Mantis was frantically reading his thoughts as he spoke, using her powers to interrupt him because he was going to say he had the perfect stuff to make up for it, wanting to show the King some Terran music with the Zune. While Terran music was excellent, Mantis knew not everyone would like it, nor find it an acceptable form of apology.

"I have no excuse," Quill said instead. "And I have to... shut up... now."