#peter refusing to accept rocket being gone is something that can be so personal

[starship21zedna9]

Rocket screaming in rage and pain and grief when Lylla is killed and then Peter doing the exact same thing when Rocket flatlines.  My heart.

[thewriterwithnoplan]

Anti-Hero (Part 4)

Summary: They always told her a few key things; Humans are not loving, And Humans are not divine. Midgard is not safe, And Midgard is not kind. Earth is not good, And Earth is not pure. Terra is not clean, And Terra is not secure. The unspoken truths of humanity. Maybe it was high time she believed them. Pairing: Eventual!Peter Parker x Reader Word Count: 1456 Warnings: None.

Five Years Later

“Are you sure we can do this, мама?” Y/N whispered softly, to the redhead before her.

It had been a long five years of cleaning up humanity's messes. One would think that after one half of all life in the universe was decimated that, maybe they’d get a break. But the Avengers had inevitably been forced to become the peace brokers of the universe. Not that Y/N was complaining – it had been the best time of her life – but she was ready to rest.

Natasha gave the smallest of smiles, “We have to try, мое дитя (My child).”

Y/N swept her gaze across the others gathered around her, the heroes who refused to fall. The men and women who had taught her what goodness was. Around her stood her family and her team, around her stood Avengers.

Yes, they would try. They would stand and fight, the world would knock them down as it always did but they’d stand again. Her mother, Natasha, had taught her that; A person isn’t valued in their ability to do good, but their courage to stand up for it.

Even when the Avengers had learned of her heritage as Loki’s heir to Jontunheim, they had accepted her. So, Y/N stood beside them, in her white spacesuit, proudly sporting the Avengers symbol. Yes, they would try.

“мы выиграем (We will win).” She told her mother firmly as they embraced one last time. The girl in green and gold smiled at the woman as she moved to her uncle’s side. Tony Stark smiled down at the newly minted Avenger.

“Scared, Little Gold Widow?” He murmured with a smirk, as the group set out their hands, preparing to travel through space and time.

“You forget дядя (----),” Y/N grinned up at him, a toothy expression that she saved only for her family, “Fear is the precursor to valor.”

“I suppose it is.”

***

Something had gone horribly wrong, again. The Avengers stood on Tony’s ingenious time contraption, staring excitedly at one another. But something was amiss. Y/N later wondered how she hadn’t instantly known that things were so terribly wrong. That in her mother’s place was a cruel stone.

It wasn’t until several moments later - after the team had paused in their reveling - that they realized Clint had been far too quiet. The man should have been ecstatic to be so close to his family. Unless… He’d already lost part of that family.

It was then that the youngest avenger fell to her knees, breath coming far too quickly until she was slumped into Tony’s side. But it didn’t matter who was trying to console her because they were not her mother. They were not the woman who took in the girl with nothing. That woman, the black widow, Natasha Romanoff, was gone.

“No.” Y/N whispered to the air around her, the gods above, whoever would listen.“No.”

Not again would she lose someone in vain. Not again would she be bound to sit by idly. Never again would she sit stiffly in the corner while the world crumbled around her. She was Y/N Lokidottir Romanoff for god’s sake and she would burn the world down.

они победят (They will win).

***

Y/N stood in her room, looking down on the outfit laid across her bed. She had entered the room with the intent to don the gold armour and green cloak. But looking upon it now… It was a mockery of everything she had become, everything her mother had taught her.

No longer was she the child from Asgard nor the girl who had raged against humanity. It wasn’t Mischief who stood in the Avenger’s facility, it was someone else born in her mother’s image, it was the Gold Widow. She was cast from the burning gold that her father, Loki, had created but she had been forged by Natasha.

Y/N stared upon the armour of someone she had long put to rest. Someone, she would remember but would not be. She looked upon the last vestiges of Mischief and got to work.

***

Dressed in dark green the Princess of Asgard emerged from her room. Each footfall was like an earthquake, shaking her very being as she glimmered like a newly cut jewel. Her hands hung through the loops on her belt, framing the Widow symbol that glittered bright gold there. Upon her brow two elegantly curling horns marked her as the Goddess she proudly was.

Vaulting boots encasing her feet and that letter holding vial jumped around her neck at every quaking step. The quiet tink of metal on metal as her vanishing daggers - now strung down her side – clatter together. A Queen in every sense of the word as she wore the symbols of her heritage.

Across her back laid another insignia, painted in gold cross the black-green cloak that had once been Loki’s. A family crest that she bore proudly. It was an elegant tangle of several emblems, one for each of the original Avengers. A tribute to the fallen, a tribute to those still fighting.

“A truly beautiful outfit Lady Y/N,” Thor complemented as those thundering footfalls led her into the heart of the facility – the heart of her home. “Lady Natasha and Loki would be proud.”

A watery smile danced across the girl’s face as she dipped her head in thanks, “Thor, if I may ask you a favor.”

Y/N pulled a piece of worn cloth from her pocket, flicked it open and held it out for the god of thunder. The others in the room watched curiously as Thor’s face softened from the drunken scowl he now often wore. For a small moment, the gathered group watched as the great Thor Odinson shone through the many walls he had built.

The god of thunder motioned for the girl to turn as he took whatever lay within the folds of that cloth. The Avengers paused to watch, abandoning the hard-earned stones, if only for a moment. Almost reverently Thor took a strand of her hair and began weaving a single black lock among her own H/C hair. When the Prince of Asgard was finished he returned to the cloth and produced a red curl to weave into her hair beside the first.

“Thank you,” Y/N whispered heavily and then after a pause, she added, “Frigga would be proud of the man you have become.”

“I’m not so sure about all that,” He chuckled, “But my brother was always proud of you.”

“He was proud of you too.”

It was silent for a few heartbeats before, “Thank you, Lady, it means much.”

“конечно дядя (Of course, ----).” Y/N’s hands curled around the glass vial around her neck as she turned toward the assembling infinity gauntlet.

“I don’t know what that means!” Thor called after her, earning little more than a light shake of her shoulders as she chuckled quietly to herself.

The avengers fluttered around the three geniuses they harbored. Y/N tried to help in any way she could – which was mostly bringing Tony drinks every other minute – as Tony, Bruce and Rocket worked to get the infinity stones prepared. An air of hesitance, a palpable tension laid in the atmosphere. They were so close.

“All right. The glove’s ready,” Rocket announced, “Question is, who’s gonna snap their freaking fingers?”

A tense argument over who would don the glove followed. The logical choices were simple, Banner or Thor. Y/N highly doubted that any of the Midgardians could survive even touching one stone. Of course, she wouldn’t be much better. There were several things holding her back from volunteering.

The first problem with her even coming into contact with the stones would be the fear. She had seen first-hand what the stones had done to Loki’s mind during the Battle of New York. The second problem was her unknown heritage, there was barely any proof that she really was an Asgardian. Sure, she was an Elemental Sorceress but if either of her birth parents had been from anywhere else, she would be as susceptible as a Midgardian. The third problem would be the same one that Thor would face, an undeniable need to bring back everyone, not just those that were safe to bring back.

“Don’t even think about it, Little Widow.” Tony hissed at her when he caught her eyeing the glove. Apparently, Tony was going to be the fourth obstacle between her and donning the glove.

“Wouldn’t dream of it

That left Banner, “It’s like… uh… I was made for this.”

He really was. The plan went off without a hitch. Right up until the moment the compound blew up and everything went to hel.

[nev3rfound]

look after him, please: b.b

brief summary: dating bucky and being peters older sister. 

requested? by @sara29392  word count: 1.2K warnings: infinity war spoilers

please be easy on me - some of the details might not be right as I haven’t seen IW since it came out as I’m slowly rewatching everything before endgame. 

“Wait, no. No, no.” Peter continues to shake his head in disbelief, refusing to accept this as I stand next to Bucky. 

With Bucky’s metal arm around my waist, Peter just stares completely and utterly dumbfounded. “Pete, it’s not that big of a deal.” I tell him as I smile up at Bucky, seeing that warm smile. 

“What planet are you on, Y/n?” Peter retorts, crossing his arms across his chest as he leans on the edge of the sofa. “He’s Bucky!” Lifting his arm up and motioning to Bucky I watch as his hold on me loosens. “I, I was trying to set you up with Steve.” 

Bucky lets out a short laugh and I try to conceal my smile as my brother stares at me with an irritated expression. “Oh, Peter.” I sigh as I walk over to him and sling my arm around his shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll grow on you.” Standing up I motion for him to follow me. “We’ll just go for a walk, James.” I tell Bucky and I can see Peter pulling a face as we walk past.

Once out of sight Peter stops me, mouthing��‘James’ to me and I simply smile.

 “What, you really thought Bucky was his birth name?” I question and Peter merely shrugs his shoulders. “What’s the worry about him Peter?” 

Peter lets out a sigh as we head towards the lift. “I don’t want to see you hurt.” He quietly states as his shoulders hunch forward. “I’ve seen him in action, clips of what he did to Mr Starks parents.” 

His eyes soften as we walk into the lift, knowing he can speak in confidence for a few minutes without any other ears on us. 

“He had no remorse, nothing, Y/n.” He reiterates his point and I keep a straight face before nodding. 

“I know.” I simply say, much to Peters surprise. “I know about everything. I know he wasn’t Bucky then. He was brainwashed, forced to be that person. And now Bucky is learning to feel again, Pete. I want him to feel comfortable around my family, especially since I’ve only got you and May.” 

The doors open and we walk onto the roof, the breeze rising through my hair as I tug on my jumper sleeves. “I just don’t want to see you hurt, sis.” Peter speaks up and I smile to him before bringing him into a hug. “You’re the only Parker I’ve got.” He mumbles into my hair as I pull away. 

We stand still for a few minutes, watching as Steve and Sam start running laps, Bucky close behind them. “You going to go easier on him now?” I ask as I watch Bucky’s muscles move effortlessly, his hair tied back. 

“Nope.” Peter states before letting out a laugh. “But that’s my job as your brother.” He pats my back before turning around, heading back into the compound whilst I sit down and see Bucky pause. 

He turns his head up and waves to me. I give him a thumbs up and he continues running. Just like that, it’s going to be alright. At least, I hope. 

*

It was going to end it, at least that was what we all hoped. 

We all listened, heard what was going to happen. I’d only seen Peter yesterday, laughing with him, Bucky and Aunt May over pizza as Bucky listened to our childhood stories. They weren’t something I found easy to talk about so he listened with full content, his bright blue eyes unable to leave mine like the smile on his face. 

Yet, that all feels like a lifetime ago. Here we are, in Wakanda ready to fight. 

Clenching my fists I glance over to Bucky as he smiles softly at me, mouthing the three words I’ve only heard verbally a few times. I mouth it back, knowing we might not make it out of this. 

The thought of not making it home for Peter breaks my heart. It drives me further into doing this, fighting so he can have a future. He might also be an Avenger, but I don’t want him in this battle, he has so much to live for, so much potential. 

Standing at the front of the border we position our guns, firing them the second they begin to appear. I can hear yells as I watch the lasers leave the gun and I lose my footing. 

I feel his arm support me, holding me up as his face is solid having lost all love. Except in his eyes, he is still in there. 

We start running on command and I fall behind, but I can see him chasing after Steve and T’Challa. I watch as I see the barrier open and all hell commences around us. 

Fighting with all I have I work through the sea of Outriders. I can feel myself burning, but I scream and yell as I kill more and more of them. I know he’s close by looking out for me. At this point, it’s all about teamwork more than anything. 

Above me, Banner flies over in the large Iron Man suit and as I lift my knife up a wave of lightning strikes the ground, causing them to all fall. 

Allowing myself to breathe I turn to Bucky who wears an equally confused expression on his face. “What’s happening?” I yell over to him as he runs towards me. 

He stands by my side, eyeing the cuts that are now covering my face. We both watch as Thor descends with Groot and Rocket. 

I smile briefly, but I know it’s far from over. “Come on,” Bucky mutters, tugging on my arm as Thor walks towards all of us. 

*

The fight continues as Hela ascends with vengeance on her mind. 

“Y/n!” Bucky yells as I turn to see him, he shoots an Outrider running towards me. “Go help Wanda!” 

Without needing to be told twice I fight my way through before Wanda unleashes her powers, causing everything to stop. 

I continue towards her, hearing Bucky’s words echoing in my mind. “Wanda, where’s Vision?” 

*

I saw it from afar, Steve couldn’t do it. 

Wanda held Visions limp body and I knew it was over. 

We’d all lost. It was game over. 

And then I heard it, the single click. 

“Y/n!” Hearing him yell my name I turn with tears in my eyes, running towards him. 

As I get closer I can see it happening, “NO!” I scream as I force my legs to go faster, fear rising in his eyes as I help him as he collapses. “I’m here,” I mumble as I place my hand on his cheek. 

His arm rises, placing his palm over mine. He opens his mouth to speak, but he’s disappearing. “Bucky?” I cry as he turns into a pile of dust in my hands and on my lap. “Bucky!” My sobs become louder as the dust falls through my fingers, lying in the blades of grass discolouring the vibrant green a dull black.

Turning around I see Steve walk towards me with pain in his blue eyes. “They’re gone.” He says clearly with no emotion in his tone. “Half the population. Gone.” 

Standing up I feel a wave of guilt cross my body, my heart already broken continues to shatter. 

Tears continue to stream down my face as I open my mouth, but no words form. “Y/n?” Steve asks as he walks closer, placing his hand on my shoulder. “What is it?” 

Lifting my head up I shake my head, “Peter.” 

[amberandmetal]

Thoughts on Endgame

Spoilers under the cut

Let’s start with the negatives to get it out of the way, yeah?

I can not believe they didn’t fix the travesty that was Loki’s death in IW. That big of a character? That character arc? A character that was only supposed to be a one movie villain yet became one of the most beloved characters of the entire MCU? You fully expect us to believe that the end of such an amazing character would be going at Thanos with a dagger and being killed off in the beginning of a movie? Like he was nothing? Insulting to Loki, insulting to the fans.

I can understand why they killed Nat instead of Clint, although I was fuming during that scene, I did not cry one bit, I was that pissed off. And yeah maybe the patriarchy has made me bitter and resentful but all I could think of was “You really gonna do that? Kill off the only female Avenger of the original 6?” and especially after how they have treated her character, giving her a new personality every movie. It didn’t feel right. Would’ve made more sense (to me at least) for Hawkeye to take the plunge and for Nat to dissappear at the end of the movie, just leaving never to be heard of again. It feels more in line with their characters. But maybe that’s just me.

Thor. Don’t even get me started on the dumpsterfire that is Thor’s character. Up until Ragnarök he was consistent, he made sense. Then ragnarök came and turned both Thor and Loki into cartoons, a character development that made no sense. And now the Russos finished Taika’s work by putting the final nail in Thor’s characterisation coffin by making him a parody of himself. And also, I am deeply dissapointed in the MCU for turning obesity into a joke. “Look, a fat Thor, how funny, ha-ha.” Oh, and let’s not forget that apparently panic attacks are comedy gold as well. Thor is not this cartoon comic relief and I will deny anything Thor related post-AOU until my dying day. 

They fucking screwed Banner in much the same way. They turned him into a buffon and a comic relief.

I actually had a feeling Steve would find a way back into the 40′s and settle down with Peggy. And even though I think that’s a perfect ending for him, to finally get what he wanted (because yeah Steggy is canon, Peggy is the love of Steve’s life, and Stucky and Stony are fanon, get it straight (badum-tss) people/ sincerely a Stony shipper), it raises way too many questions about the timelines. If Steve stayed with Peggy then wouldn’t that create a different timeline because even though a second Steve would still get woken from the ice in 70 years, there is Peggy and the husband and children she never had that she in the “normal” timeline already had. And if so then our Steve is in a different timeline so how tf did he end up in the “normal” timeline all those years later, like an old man. How did he swap timelines? Or does the Russos have another explanation for what happened with Steve’s time fiddling?

Tony’s death. I still haven’t cried about it because it’s so surreal. It’s like my heart mind won’t accept it. I love how they gave him the final line from the first Iron man movie as his last one ever, but it still.. yeah I can’t really go into it because I haven’t fully processed it yet. Joe Russo being a doctor in CATWS and now he was a survivor in group? Are we supposed to think it’s the same character? He didn’t act like it? Like what was that?

And for all of you complaining about how “Steve would never leave Bucky behind”, did you not catch on when Bucky said “I’m going to miss you”? I mean clearly Steve would not do something like this without talking it through with Bucky first and I can imagine Steve asked if Bucky wanted to do the same, and Bucky refusing. He has suffered way more trauma than Steve, plus a dude with a metal arm in the forties? Schyeah, no. And yeah, Steve did say to Sam that he “got to thinking” or something like that, like the decision was made when he was already back there, but maybe that’s just something he says to Sam. You don’t think Sam would feel hurt or left out if he found out Steve had planned on doing this without telling him? And Bucky fucking knew. Or else he wouldn’t have told Sam to “Come on, go on” to go over to Steve, otherwise Bucky would have fucking gone first. He wasn’t surprised. So either they talked about it beforehand, or they didn’t because they didn’t have to, but Bucky knew.

And lastly my thoughts on the time line conundrum: So let’s call the standard timeline timeline 1, and our original Steve for Steve 1. So Steve 1 goes back in time to be with Peggy, creating Timeline 2 (so the Sam and Bucky he goes to visit shouldn’t be Timeline 1 Sam and Bucky but Timeline 2 Sam and Bucky, but somehow he skipped?), how does this work when Steve 2 gets brought back from the ice and goes to find Peggy, who in this timeline is married to Steve 1? And then when Steve 2 inevitably finds himself in the same Endgame scenario as Steve 1 had done, he will go back in time in Timeline 2. Will that create a Timeline 3 and so on and so forth to eternity? Or will he find himself a.k.a Steve 1 already there with Peggy at the moment where Timeline 1 broke off into Timeline 2?... This is giving me a headache and needs it’s own individual post.. 

Okay now let’s get to the good stuff

I love  my blue queen. Nebula is just amazing. And I love how they brought Gamora back because this Gamora who hadn’t left Thanos and joined the GOTG yet will just bring so much to the next GOTG movie and I am HERE FOR IT.

The scene where everyone came back. Do I need to say more? Best fucking scene in the entire MCU. I cried like full on ugly crying, with the noises and shaking and “fuckfuckfuck what is going on onscreen, everything is blurry!” So powerful.

Our all female attack group to help Danvers get through the masses of alien scum (hell yeah, I’m biased). My heart literally exploded into sunshine and rainbows.

 This deserves two bulletpoints. The female badassery!

Steve-motherfucking-Rogers picking up Mjölnir. Steve-motherfucking-Rogers is hella worthy.

The cinematography is just insane.

How wellmade the scenes in 2012 were? All the new scenes and angles we got to see and just, wow.

They managed to keep all these different timelines, stories and characters in time with each other in a way that it didn’t feel scattered and it all made sense.

Peter being a flailing potato teenager when he came back and the look  on Tony’s face.

Morgan Stark.

Stan Lee’s cameo.

Tony getting some closure with Howard.

Pepper Potts kicking ass and taking names in her own suit.

Rocket being a sassmaster (as well as Nebula “Watch out. There’s an idiot on the landsite.”)

The reconcileation between Cap and Tony. (Still lamenting the absence of the hug we all deserved but hey, what u gonna do?)

Valkyrie on her fucking winged horse, oh my fucking god I think the last hetero in me went belly up at that moment.

Carol- fucking- Danvers.

Frigga.

Tony checking out Steve’s ass. “That is America’s ass”

The Steve x Steve fight? New kink activated, just saying.

I’m sure there are more points and I will update this when I think of them, but this is what I got so far. And even though there’s a lot that pissed me off I am still very much happy with it and just in awe. I’m sad but.. yeah this was a good ending.

[bevioletskies]

bring it on home to me [3/5]

summary: The fight of everyone’s lives may be over, but for Nebula, Peter, and the rest of the Guardians, the search for the person they love most has just begun.

a/n: MAJOR spoiler warning for Avengers: Endgame, though I am a little vague about the events of what happened. Regardless, please don’t let me spoil it for you!

Fic title is, of course, from the song Bring It On Home To Me by Sam Cooke. 

word count: 3.5k | ao3 | tag

Peter stared down the bottom of his third bottle in the last hour, slumped over the railing that was somewhat familiar to him, though not quite the same one he knew. He’d long given up the pretense of being the confident, boastful, larger-than-life “Star-Lord” persona, or at least he had two bottles ago. The others could still be heard above all the ruckus of the casino that was still every bit as illegal as its previous iteration, Rocket’s gleeful cackle and Drax’s uproarious laugh especially carrying through the thin sheet metal walls. Peter knew that, for once, he was the buzzkill of the group, lurking outside the bar like the wallflower he’d never been, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“We should go to Knowhere for our anniversary,” he had said to her one evening. They were lying in bed, warm and cozy and content, sifting through the team finances together. It wasn’t a particularly romantic activity, but they both found that any task, no matter how mundane, was best done in the other’s company.

She had blanched, setting down the holo-tablet to fix him with her usual dubious stare. “Why? Knowhere is filthy, both morally and literally.”

“Well, yeah, but it was where we had our first dance...sorta.” At her unimpressed look, he had added, “Okay, so technically our first dance was during that mission with the, uh, that consulate thing - ”

“Diplomats, Peter,” she had sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, same thing. Anyway, I guess I just always think it was Knowhere ‘cos it’s where we first got to really know each other. That you weren’t just a crazy assassin and I wasn’t just a handsome rogue - ”

“An acceptably attractive, morally ambiguous, and wholly dishonorable thief,” she had corrected him without missing a beat, shooting him a teasing grin. “And why do you put so much weight on anniversaries? They’re only superficially more significant than any other day of the year.”

“I dunno, maybe it’s a Terran thing.” He had pulled her in closer, gently lowered her head down over his heart, raking his fingers through her hair. She had instantly settled in, her eyes fluttering shut, enjoying the sensation of his touch. “My mom liked anniversaries. She said she liked any excuse to celebrate something or someone - birthdays, weddings, adoptions, jobs...that it meant that we made it. That something we had, something we thought was worth having, was meant to last.”

She had hummed, placing one hand on the other side of Peter’s chest so she could feel it rise with every breath he took. “It’s a lovely sentiment, actually. One that I can agree with. Your mother was an insightful woman.”

“She would’ve loved you.” He had tilted his chin downward somewhat so he could look at her resting peacefully on his chest, their legs intertwined. She had been wearing his hoodie and smelled of his cologne because of it, interlaced with the gentle and surprising sweetness of her shampoo. There had been a bandage on her thumb where she’d cut it during a mission two days ago when she was hastily trying to cut a rope that had wrapped itself around Groot’s leg while they were trying to get away from the bad guy of the week. The corners of her mouth had been turned up very slightly, her shoulders rising and falling as she drifted off to sleep. “I love you, Gamora. More than anything.”

She had chuckled, though her eyes remained closed. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes.” His answer had been immediate.

She had patted his chest in response, once, twice, then her hand came to a stop. Her smile widened. “I love you, too.”

“You are the one who tried to put his hands on me.”

Peter jumped, turning and knocking over the bottles at his feet in his haste. His mouth fell open rather comically at the sight before him, the sight he’d been chasing for months now, the sight he couldn’t believe he was seeing. “I...uh, I’m, uh - ”

“My sister said you had a talent for talking too much. I’m not sure I see it.” She folded her arms across her chest, looking at him expectantly. Everything about her looked identical to how she’d looked on the day they met - her outfit, the length and style of her hair, right down to the stern scowl that he used to think was the only expression she was capable of. It made his chest ache. “Your persistence is admirable, I’ll give you that much. But I am not the one you know.”

“Well, I...we...think you’re on your way,” Peter stammered, bending to set down his bottle beside the others. “Nebula told us you still turned on Thanos in the end to help her out, and I saw you jump into the fight against him. Seems like somethin’ you’ll always do, no matter what universe or timeline or whatever you’re in.”

She faltered, the tightness of her mouth slacking somewhat, her brow furrowing into something more like worry than anger. Then, she slowly walked over to stand beside him at the railing, an unsettling sense of deja vu washing over him as he turned to watch her. “Both of you speak of me and to me as if I’m a good person. As if I haven’t committed horrible, unspeakable acts of terror and violence. I know what my father has done. I know what I’m capable of. And yet, my sister tells me I have the capacity to...to have friends? To have a lover? To be...to be part of a family?” Her voice cracked.

“You do,” he said earnestly. “Hell, you were the one who started this whole thing to begin with. The Guardians? We never would’ve happened if you hadn’t been trying to get the Orb away from Ronan. Either I would’ve sold it to the Broker and been on my way, or you would’ve stolen it and helped Ronan destroy Xandar. You said it yourself - you couldn’t stand by and let it happen.”

“Stop speaking of her as if she’s me,” she said through clenched teeth, refusing to meet his eyes. “I am not the one you lost.”

“Okay, okay.” He held his hands up in surrender, taking one step back to give her room to breathe. “Just...please don’t run away this time. We’ve been chasin’ you around the galaxy for months - ”

“I’ve noticed.”

“ - and we’re kinda running low on fuel. And funds. And food. Just, y’know, everything.” He softened. “Look, I get it. You don’t know me, you don’t care about staying for me. But you know your sister. Would you stay for her? At least...talk to her?”

Gamora slowly turned on her heel to direct her gaze inside the casino, eyes roaming across the rowdy scene before them, the sounds barely muffled by the poorly insulated walls. The others were having a rare moment of levity together at the betting tables, Rocket and Groot jumping enthusiastically up and down as they beat Drax at yet another hand, while Mantis was watching with a confused, but entertained smile. Nebula was sat at the bar by herself, staring down the bottom of a shot glass like it had personally wronged her. “I saved her.”

“Yeah. A bunch of times, actually. And you’ve saved me, too. And everyone else.”

She turned back to properly look at him for the first time. “When?”

“Well, we’ve been on dozens of jobs together, you really want me to describe them all?” he chuckled.

“No. I have a feeling once you start, you’ll never stop.” A smirk then formed on her face, something so similar to the smile she often wore around him whenever he was being...well, himself - that he felt a sharp pang in his chest to accompany the dull ache. Her expression then fell back into something far more forlorn. “I’ve spent these last months trying to figure out how to live in a universe that I don’t belong to. With my father and sister dead, with my purpose gone, with my identity belonging to another, I...I’m lost, Quill.”

“You have a place with us if you want it,” he promised, shivering at the sound of his name in her mouth. “And I’m thinking you do, since you came to me. I gotta ask, though - why did you come to me? Why not your sister?”

She visibly swallowed. “She isn’t the one I know. She killed her past self, the one that belonged to my timeline, to save my life. I don’t know how to understand her, I don’t know how to be the one that she needs, I don’t know what or who she needs. At least with you...we have no false pretense of me resembling the one you loved.”

“But you do. I…” He inhaled sharply, his eyes burning with unshed tears. “I look at you, and all I see is her when we first met, god, nine years ago now. I look at you standing here, and I remember the last time we were on Knowhere, her telling me how she couldn’t let Ronan or Thanos destroy planets, me telling her about the night my mom died. And when Nebula told me that you turned on Thanos and saved her with no hesitation, that’s...that’s the woman I know. The one I love.”

She went silent for a moment, turning back toward the stars, her eyes squeezing shut so she could think. “Sometimes...I wish I was her. It sounds like she was loved.”

“She was,” Peter said fiercely. “And not just by me and Nebula. The whole team, every last one of ‘em. I got a feeling, if you stay, make your new home with us...we’ll love you, too.”

“You make it sound as if I’m a lesser version of her. A replacement.”

“No, that’s not - ”

“But if you want to know why I stopped running away...I’m tired, Quill. I’m tired of not knowing what to do next.” Her shoulders slumped, and she leaned against the railing, her elbows barely keeping herself upright. “And though I have no interest in becoming a project for you and your friends, the temptation to at least...try to find my place among you is too strong to resist. Besides, I have nothing left to lose. Nothing at all.”

He could almost audibly hear his own heart break at her admission. “I’m sorry. About your timeline bein’ all messed up, about losin’ all those people you cared about...”

“Thanos is not my father,” she said darkly. “Nebula, though...this one said we were sisters. Friends.”

“You were. But you should really talk to her about that stuff, not me. Not my place to say nothin’.” Peter nodded toward the direction of the door. “You think you’re ready?”

“I need a moment. I’m not sure what to say,” she admitted, moving to sit down with her back against the railing. He automatically followed suit, sitting a polite distance away from her. They waited in silence for a few minutes, the only soundtrack accompanying them being the awful bass-heavy EDM pounding away at the bar and the raucous cries from its patrons, getting louder and louder with every sip they took. Peter was itching to reach for his Zune, to see if maybe a song, any song, would somehow bring back her memories, as if she had simply lost them rather than not having them in the first place. “Nebula also said you and I were together for four years.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we were.” Peter smiled sadly. “Damn good four years, too.”

“What was it like?” He looked at her incredulously; she shot him a defensive look in return. “This isn’t just small talk, Quill. I need to know what my other self experienced, what she valued, if I’m going to have a productive conversation with my sister.”

“Su-u-ure,” he drawled, smirking. “I got a bunch of stories if you’ve got some time.”

“Not that much,” she retorted. Regardless, she turned toward him so their faces were closer, her eyes fixated intently on his. He found himself momentarily lost in their familiarity, though they lacked the warmth he had grown so accustomed to. “Tell me.”

It had been fourteen hours since Yondu’s ashes were scattered across the expanse of space, and Peter finally found himself stirring awake in his bed on the Quadrant (Kraglin had spoken of a scrapyard he knew of on a nearby planet where they could string together a new ship, but Peter was in no mood to brainstorm new names for the time being), groggy from having slept so fitfully for so long. He groaned, flopping back into his sea of flattened pillows to reject the very concept of a new day. Then, his chest tightened in remembrance of everything that had occurred in the last week, of what had happened just last night. He let out a sudden pained cry.

“Peter? Peter!” She burst through the door and was by his side before he even registered her presence, pulling him up into a seated position with his back against the headboard. “I heard you yelling, are you hurt?”

“No,” he sighed, his breath coming out ragged. “I just remembered where I was, that’s all. Don’t mean to disturb you.”

“Not at all,” she said, moving back a little so he had room to exhale. “You have every right to be disoriented right now, Peter, it’s okay. We’ll take some time off before we get back to work. I think we could all use a break. Besides, we need to figure out how Mantis fits in here. She needs guidance.”

“I think you’d be good for that,” he said, lifting his chin to look at her. His breath slowly came back to him. “Better you than Drax.”

“I agree,” she said dryly, rubbing his shoulder to further calm him down. “Did you at least sleep through the night? I didn’t hear you get up once.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He put his hand over hers. “Hey, how are you holding up? Now that Nebula’s...gone again.”

“I think we’re on our way to something. Friendship, maybe,” she replied, looking lost in thought. “It’s not something I ever thought was possible, but...I have hope.”

“That’s great!” he exclaimed, brightening. “I mean, she still scares the crap outta me, but you both deserve a win. You really do.”

She nodded slowly. “Peter...I’m sorry about Yondu. I know how much he meant to you. And I shouldn’t have pushed you to have a relationship with your father, only to turn it around the second we arrived - ”

“Hey, no, you were right, okay? Your instincts were dead-on, as always,” he promised, squeezing her hand. “I’m sorry for losin’ it on you instead of hearing you out. We’re both stubborn as hell, not exactly the best foundation for a relationship - ”

“Relationship?” she interrupted with a teasing smile.

He blinked bewilderedly. “Yeah, last night when you said - ”

“I know what I said.” She moved closer, so close that their foreheads touched. His breath trembled for an entirely different reason; they hadn’t been this physically close since their near first kiss on Knowhere. “And I stand by what I said. But...you’re right. I think both of us could be more patient with each other...with ourselves. We take this slow, or not at all.”

“Yeah, that’s...that’s fair.” He then smirked, something mischievous and warm and already so familiar to her that she couldn’t help but smile in return. “But, uh, how slow are we talkin’?”

She hummed, then leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, so brief that he barely had time to reciprocate. He let out a startled laugh, watching in mild disappointment as she pulled away and got to her feet. “Mantis is making breakfast for all of us to celebrate her first day as a Guardian. I can already tell you it smells terrible, but I suggest we both eat it for her sake.”

“Hey, hey, wait - ” Peter got out of bed and reached for her hand, pulling her front flush against his. He gently cupped her jaw in one hand, used the other to run his fingers through her hair, the warmth in his chest growing stronger when she leaned into the touch. “Seriously, I know I literally dance around the subject sometimes, but you gotta tell me if I’m screwin’ up and not doin’ enough to fix it. Relationships are kinda new to me, too, and the last thing I wanna do is mess up what we have. Done enough of that lately, and I don’t wanna let you down.”

“Have you ever known me to hold anything back?” she drawled.

“Right, of course. What am I talking about?” he laughed, leaning down to kiss her, properly this time, feeling her smile against his lips, her arms sliding around his waist to keep them both steady. They held each other for a moment, ignoring the ominous rattles of the Quadrant and the distant arguing of their teammates, their family, before pulling away. “All I’m saying is that I trust you, Gamora. More than anything.”

“You know…” The surprising gentleness of her voice slowly pulled Peter out of his memory-induced haze. “Nebula told me who I was, what I meant to all of you, but...we never had the chance to talk about what happened in the aftermath. How you felt when you found out. If you trust me...will you trust me enough to tell me? I...I want to know.” Her expression was unusually open, pleading.

He looked away, staring down at his hands in the realization that he’d taken the Zune out of his pocket subconsciously, running his thumb across the front, feeling for the buttons like he had with the Walkman. The Zune was smaller, more touch-sensitive, a little less solid beneath his calloused fingers. “I lost my mom...then my real dad. How else was I s’posed to react when I lost you, too?” He hung his head. “I screwed up, I lost it, I...when Thanos said he ‘had’ to kill you, I…” His breath shook, his throat burned.

“She said...something about the Soul Stone.” Her brow furrowed. “I was sacrificed, wasn’t I?”

He nodded silently. “Nebula didn’t know exactly how Vormir worked until she joined up with the Avengers on Terra, and two of ‘em went and had to do the same thing. One came back without the - ”

“Quill, listen to me,” she interrupted urgently, reaching across to grab his arm, her fingernails digging in deep. “If I was sacrificed for the Soul Stone, it means a piece of my soul - her soul - lives on inside of it. Once Thanos gained control, he would have been able to see her, speak to her. We just need to - ”

“He destroyed ‘em.” Peter’s voice was hollow. “That bastard used the Stones to destroy the Stones. The one that the Avengers used, it was one they took from the past, before you...you…” He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat, unable to choke out the last word.

Her face fell. “So she’s lost, then. Every part of her.”

A harsh noise escaped his throat as if to cover up a poorly-concealed sob. “You don’t gotta rub it in. Believe me, I’ve been thinkin’ about her every damn day.”

She slowly got to her feet, unsure of how to comfort him. Her eyes flickered to something moving in her peripheral vision - Nebula, knocking back another generous swig from a lukewarm bottle while the others continued to gamble away what precious few team savings they had left. She seemed unaware of their presence outside, too fixated on whatever she had right in front of her. Her face was more hardened than ever, but the tremble of her mechanical fingers betrayed her expression. “There are people out there, cosmic forces, who might be able to restore her existence in my physical being. Maybe...maybe that is my ultimate purpose.”

Peter wiped away the silent tears that had rolled down his face, looking up at her in shock. “Wh - what? No, I...you said it yourself, you’re not a replacement, you’re your own person - ”

“Am I, though?” Every syllable of every word she spoke seemed to strike Peter right in the chest. “I was never meant to exist here, Quill. My time displacement has cursed me these last few months, left me wanting for something I could never find. If her soul still exists out there, somewhere, anywhere...there’s hope. Possibility. It wouldn’t be a disservice to me if we tried...but it would be a disservice to her if we didn’t.”

“I mean…” He gestured fruitlessly, barely able to pick himself up off the ground. “...I don’t even know where to start.”

“I do.” She looked down at him, her smile soft and sad and just a little bit more than determined. “Have you ever heard of the Sovereign?”

a/n: The morning-after interlude scene is how I've envisioned Peter and Gamora making things official ever since the first time I watched Vol. 2, but I don't think I've ever actually written it before somehow! Honestly, this chapter could have been incredibly long, had I gone into more of my Peter/Gamora headcanons that I've sprinkled throughout all my other MCU-canon fics and beyond, but there will be space for some of it in the last part, believe me ;)

The next update will be posted next Friday! Thanks so much for reading, likes and reblogs would be much appreciated, and see you next time :)

[cartoonrantingman-blog]

7 suspicious characters in TV shows that the heroes should have discovered (Spoilers)

While watching Teen Titans, I thought (SPOILERS) “You know, if I didn’t already know what happened, I would be completely surprised at Terra’s betrayal”. The show did a good job with keeping that little secret tucked away.

However, not all betrayers/plotters are as sneaky as Terra was. And for some, you just have to say “OMG, HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS, THEY ARE GOING TO BETRAY YOU, THEY’RE THE VILLAIN!”

So I though a while, and here’s seven villains and secret-keepers from TV that obviously were betraying them, but no one in universe saw it coming. The list will be from least obvious to “completely rip your hair out and scream at the dumb main character” kind of obvious.

In either case, there’s a lot of unnecessary dramatic irony in these shows!

#7: Ludo (Star vs the Forces of Evil, S2)

OK, so this one is more of a “They should have noticed this” type of thing. They already knew that Ludo would probably be back, and they didn’t pay him any heed.

Well, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!

Star’s mom should have noticed that half the wand was missing, and should have tried to retrieve it. So what happened? Yeah, Ludo got it.

He then enslaved some rats and then started STEALING OUT OF THE KINGDOM’S CORNFIELD!

They should have had someone on that at once! Ludo was literally using a magical force to try and steal, and no one detected it or investigated why the corn was disappearing.

Also, poor rats! Ludo can’t keep track of all of them, but not one of them tried to warn everyone about Ludo. That’s just great! 

#6: The Skrull warrior pretending to be Captain America (Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes)

In Marvel universe, the Skrull are shape-shifting aliens who use the memories of people to take over their place and slowly prepare the world for invasion. In the Avengers show, one of the Skrull’s first targets was the Captain himself.

Now, the Skrull are almost exact copies, with little noticability unless you’re looking for it, so you can’t blame anyone for not seeing this coming.

Unless you were Nick Fury.

Nick put together a team to try and root out the skrull. And he was pretty good, until, you know, not noticing that:

A. His right hand woman, Mockingbird, was the Skrull Queen

B. Captain America was a Skrull

And the most infuriating, C. He didn’t notice that Cap had been having secret meetings with unusual people, INCLUDING MOCKINGBIRD!

The first suspicion, and confirmation, for me came when Cap accepted an electronic shield Stark had made for him. Cap said nothing, and he meant NOTHING, could ever replace his shield, even that cool hologram copy, so why did he take it? HE WAS A SKRULL, THAT’S WHY! GOOD GOING, NICK!

#5: Pidge (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

This really ticks me off, but it’s minor to the plot, so it goes lower on the list.

I already knew (thanks to my sister) that Pidge was a girl at the beginning of the series. But as I watched it, it was hard to imagine how no one in the series could see it at first...

First of all, anyone who knew her brother, even just by the legends, would probably know the guy had a sister, not a brother.

Second of all, Hunk notices Pidge has a picture of himself and his “girlfriend”. Yeah, that girl was Pidge. They should have noticed that the guy was her brother and not Pidge, unless they happened to have the exact same face as opposite gendered siblings. Which is some grade-A BS.

Thirdly... They share bathrooms. Someone had to notice that she was a girl in the showers or something.

Fourth, she attended a space academy. They should have gone into routine investigations, which meant that they should have done investigations. Background investigations. So did she really make up a backstory convincing enough to tell an advanced military academy that makes it so that her brother had a brother, even though SHE HAD ALREADY BROKEN IN AND WAS CAUGHT, and that she signed up as a guy. HOW DUMB IS NEO-NASA NOT TO NOTICE THIS?!?!

#4: Stan Pines (Gravity Falls)

You mean to tell me that no one noticed the vending machine?

NO ONE?!

I refuse to believe that no one could expect Stan. He runs the MYSTERY SHACK! Yeah, Stan might hide it well, but Dipper has to suspect at some point that Stan knew about the weirdness.

And taking Dipper’s journal and “forgetting about it” is pretty suspicious as well! And did anyone notice Gideon’s journal disappeared? STAN SURE DID!

But the dreaded vending machine. Oh, that vending machine...

Soos can literally break into it w/out a key. He had to have noticed something about the keypad or the back of the machine!

Stan visited it at night when the kids were still awake even! And they didn’t hear a giant clash of metal when the door closed? NOPE!

Also, THE GOVERNMENT AGENTS DECIDE TO NEVER CHECK BEHIND THE STUPID VENDING MACHINE! REALLY?! EVEN WHEN YOU COME TO GRAVITY FALLS, YOU ARE SURE STAN IS THE CULPRIT, YOU TRACK PARANORMAL PHENOMENON, HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THIS?!

#3: Norman Osborn (Ultimate Spider man)

First of all, he looks sketchy as F***.

So your son Harry is best friends with the guy you’re trying to capture? Even though you don’t know it, Spiderman is literally at your fingertips every time your friend holds a party. But being in Marvel’s “Universe of Obliviousness™ ”, Norman is able to be normal.

So Norman runs a big tech company, which automatically puts him in SHIELD’s watchful eye (get it? cuz Nick Fury has an eyepatch...? Aww, screw it...), and they usually have a few connections and leads on almost everyone. Relating back to a few #s up, though, Nick seems to not suspect anything when it comes to potential threats. This is true with Norman Osborn.

So when Doc Oc sprouts outta nowhere, no one suspects a thing about how an ex-partner of Osborn’s is back from the dead. Norman even goes so far as to TELL THEM THAT HE WAS A FORMER ASSOCIATE! What’s a bigger tip off?

Secondly, Peter should have noticed that Norman left at very strange and often convenient times, like when they both left Harry’s end of the year celebration dinner because they both had something to do with Doctor Octopus.

Then there’s the whole “Secret room with a bunch of really explosive and dangerous weaponry” that is in his office. That should set some alarms off, especially Harry’s.

But here’s the biggest part: Harry gets the Venom symbiote from a party and puts it on. Norman doesn’t notice this, and doesn’t bother to find out what the Venom symbiote is doing during all of this. However, when Venom shows up and reveals himself to be his son, Harry should’ve guessed that something was up, mainly due to the fact that Norman ACCEPTED Venom like a son! Seriously, that’s a bit ****ed up.

So, with the dangerous room, the Doctor Octopus lead, and the whole reaction to Venom, as well as the whole secretiveness of his character, HOW DID NO ONE SUSPECT HIM?!

#2: Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawn (Flash)

OK, Eobard Thawn did a pretty good job at hiding the fact that he was the Reverse-Flash. What’s bulls*** is that when he was on the verge of being caught, SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN TO UNDO IT!

I mean, HE FREAKING KILLED CISCO! And then Barry undid this by traveling back in time and undoing it by accident!

Cisco will later vibe that Wells killed him, but he doesn’t get away with it at the time!

Another thing: he uses a wheel chair when his legs are perfectly fine! Someone has to notice that, because he’s surrounded by SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS!

Also, Wells has murdered a lot of people and gotten away with it! Oh, and the whole particle accelerator, Gorilla Grodd, etc. Bottom line? They should have realized something was up. Joe did, and did almost nothing to stop it!

But the cream of him was his secret room. No one ever found it when he was still undercover. And he visited that thing every single day! No one ever found him? Yeah, no one suspected a thing. You people are supposed to be geniuses, and the detective was the only one to suspect anything! AND THAT’S HIS JOB!

And that’s just part 1 of this section!

Part 2 comes in Season 2, when Earth-2 Wells comes. Keep in mind, he is not Thawn.

Earth-2 Wells comes when Zoom and Jay Garrick visits their dimension. He has conflicts with the team, but mostly earns Barry’s trust. However, Zoom offers him his daughter in exchange for the Flash’s speed. For the next few episodes, Wells acts as shady as F***!

Firstly, he kills off what may have been the only way of defeating Zoom, the Turtle.

Secondly, he keeps working on some mysterious side-project thing that no one seems to question.

Finally, HE LITERALLY TELLS BARRY THAT, IF GIVEN THE CHOICE, HE WILL BETRAY BARRY AND KILL FOR HIS DAUGHTER’S SAFETY! WHAT MORE DOES THE FLASH NEED?!

BOTH HARRISONS ARE TRAITORS! AND THEY’RE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE!

However, this last one is a group of people who just are constantly lying and betraying the main characters... and NO ONE notices them.

#1: TEAM ROCKET! (Pokemon)

We all know who Team Rocket is.

Here’s how the typical Team Rocket shtick works:

1. See pokemon that is favorable

2. Disguise oneself and attempt to blend in

3. Trick the twerp or twerps into believing you are good person

4. Nab the pokemon

5. Take off disguises and say your motto (motto depends on which series you’re in)

6. Attempt to escape

7. (Optional, but almost always happens) Get your a**es handed to you and BLAST OFF AGAAAAAAAIN! (woobuffet!)

So the thing to remember here is #2: Disguise oneself. Team Rocket has miraculously managed to horribly disguise themselves and still trick Ash and friends into believing that they still want to take their pokemon so that they can improve or care for them. And after 6 different regions, you think Ash would learn, right? 

NOPE! HE STILL WILL HAND PIKACHU OVER TO THE LIKES OF THESE PEOPLE:

IT IS SO OBVIOUS WHEN IT IS TEAM ROCKET! YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL EVEN IF THEY DIDN’T ALREADY SHOW THEMSELVES IN AN EPISODE ALREADY! EVEN IF JESSE AND JAMES PERFECTLY DISGUISED THEMSELVES, THEY STILL WOULD BE WALKING AROUND WITH A TALKING MEOWTH WHO CAN NEVER FOOL ANYONE AND A FREAKING WOOBUFFET WITH A HYPERACTIVE DISORDER! ASH SHOULD BE THE MOST DISTRUSTING PERSON IN THE WORLD IF THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING HIM AROUND FOR 20+ SEASONS AND SOMEHOW TRICKING THE IDIOT TO STEAL HIS POKEMON!

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Anywho, there is a lesson to be learned here: good shows are the ones that make the dramatic irony very minimal in the show, so that there is a big reveal when the climax of the series/episode happens. If you want, make some people suspicious! Make them go out of their way to bust them, only to fail in the process, or something, because all these TV shows with major plotholes are going to drive me crazy!

[justbr0s]

Finally someone else said it!

Rocket screaming in rage and pain and grief when Lylla is killed and then Peter doing the exact same thing when Rocket flatlines.  My heart.