Note: Soulmate!AU - The only words you can say are your soulmate's name until you meet them

Selene was six years old, sitting by herself at the edge of the playground platform while other kids were playing. She was drawing, her pen filling in the drawn lines on her tablet.

Something sturdy hit against her back and she turned around to see some of the Krylorian kids gesturing for her to give them the ball that hit her. Setting her tablet and pen down, Selene picked the ball up and tossed it as best as she could back to the group.

When they made another gesture, inviting Selene to play with them, Selene shook her head and opened her mouth to decline.

"Groot."

By the age of seventeen, Selene was now aware of the fact that saying 'Groot' all the time was not ideal for conversation. In fact, it was all she could contribute to a verbal conversation.

Her mother tried explaining her predicament to her for a few years now, and Selene chalked it up to something funny shifting in the galaxies' air. Though, it did explain why some people talked while others opted to write or use a special hand language to communicate with everyone.

The thought of someone out there only being able to say her name was amusing. She could only write and gesture with her name, but this Groot had the opportunity to say it whenever he wanted.

Selene pressed her chin in the palm of her hand, elbow perched on the windowpane of her room. She looked beyond the trees up to the stars twinkling in the sky.

"Groot," she said softly, a smile on her face. She kinda liked it.

The one time…the one time in her twenty-three-year filled life Selene travelled outside of Berhert she just had to find herself in the middle of a botched deal with bandits.

The sounds of manic laughter and blasts filled her ears, nearly beating out the thunderous beating of her heart in her chest. She didn't even know how she stumbled on it or how she could have alerted them of her presence when she'd been quiet.

"Groot!" she cried, inwardly chiding herself. She couldn't tell them to stop; it wasn't like they'd read a note or hand expressions at that moment.

One of the blasts connected to a tree, creating a hole in it, and Selene squeaked. She was running out of the ground to run on, near one of the dead ends on the planet.

But the sounds of the bandits' laughter turning into screams caused her to stop. Selene looked behind her, eyes widening at the sight.

There was a large tree-like individual whose limbs were circled around the bandits. Beside him was an animal holding a gun, and Selene had to blink twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Nice job, Groot," the animal said. "You didn't kill the bounty this time."

Selene froze and hid behind one of the trees; with the animal saying that name, she couldn't take any chances.

The tree-like creature said something to the animal she couldn't hear, dropping the bandits in a bag the animal held open for him. It then looked around, meeting her eyes in the distance. Her breath hitched, and she felt something inside. It was like a click or mental light shining in her brain.

"I am Groot," he said, one of his fingers pointing in Selene's direction.

She was going to come from behind the tree completely and do something, but fear seized inside her.

"Oh hey, you decided to stop saying that name," the animal remarked with a laugh. "Finally. It was starting to be a real pain in the ass to hear and see you attempt to write." It started to drag the bags along the path. "Come on, Groot, we have a bounty to cash in on."

Selene saw the animal leaving, but her gaze never truly left Groot's. It was him. That was her connection. She was too scared to approach him, though. It was all surreal.

He hadn't moved from his position, still lingering in her direction. When it looked like he was going to take a step forward, a sharp voice interrupted him.

"The girl's gone already, man! Let's go!"

Selene read the expression on Groot's face as one of sadness before turning and following in the direction that the animal had taken.

As he was walking away, Selene couldn't help but feel bad for whoever the animal's other half had to be considering the way he talked.

But the more important thing that Selene thought that day, she opened her mouth to say. "T-Thank you…Groot."

She smiled softly, leaning on the tree thoughtfully. She'd see Groot again someday. When she did, she would thank him face to face.

Word Count: 791