Hello, hello, hello! My actual name is Hayley, but just for shits and giggles, you can call me Ass. How are you?

*stares blankly like Dora the Explorer*

OH, THAT'S GOOD. Well, this is my story. Just a bunch of Grocket (and a few Peter/Gamora) one-shots! ...Or two-shots. Or just whatever shit happens. A lot of this will depend on audience participation and suggestions. Anyways, I hope that you like it!

*WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH

A dark and grey smoke filled the air, before a wheezing cough left someone's lips. It sounded deep and hollow. Tired and sad; like death and defeat.

"Groot…," whispered the poor Rocket Raccoon, "I c-can't…"

Lying on the ground beneath the horrified stare of the afore mentioned tree, Rocket let out a tired and shuddering breath. His small body wracked from the pain. In turn, Groot could only stare hopelessly beneath him. His eyes narrowed into slits of pure grief.

Watching as the pungent pool of dark blue began to steadily bleed out from his friend, the plant mutely fell to his knees in remorse. He gave little care to whatever else was happening around him – the battle had been won, but at what cost?

His wooden heart breaking, the monarch let out a sad, almost silent whimper.

"I am… Groot."

Nothing else mattered at that moment but Rocket.

As the smoke started to clear from around them, a few bodies could be seen lying lifeless amongst the desolate crater that they were standing in. The air was quiet; too quiet for there to have been any life around for at least the next couple of miles.

Far off in the distance –if Groot had even cared to look– a tired Peter could be seen pocketing his gun and moving to help a staggering Gamora to her feet. Awkwardly stumbling over a bruised ankle, the self-proclaimed Starlord went to grab her hips in order to steady her. In his arms, the beautiful weapon of mass destruction let out a curt curse, to which the tall goof gave her a small, exhausted smile. A thin but tender blush was given in return.

But Groot hadn't – even though he had come to care deeply for his team. The reincarnated plant's attention was solely focused on Rocket at the moment; his other friends could wait. This was the friend who currently needed all of his attention.

"I know buddy."

A sadistic turn of Rocket's lips showed that he had found a slight humor in Groot's words.

Staring into the creases of Groot's face, the thin creature finally let out a wheezing chuckle.

"I k-know."

As he lied there, Rocket's voice gradually turned broken, and he closed his eyes drowsily. When he opened them, the animal gazed forlornly at his best friend.

"I-I can't move," he lamented, a soft cry entering his words.

The raccoon had been so prepared to die, but now that the opportunity had arisen, he felt as if he needed more time. He wasn't done living life yet, but still the blood ran out.

"I-I'm not ready Groot."

The dullness of the blue liquid surrounded him. It would have been a normal shade of red had it not been changed, just one of the many repercussions of having been experimented on for so long.

Groot could feel a lump forming in his throat.

Though the guardians had fought with their damndest, this time their strength was not enough. The battle had been exceedingly long and hard, and this incident had been the cost of one grave misjudgment; a coincidental tragedy which came along with the job.

Groot felt his eyes soften, and the bark within him sparked to life. It warmed him up from the inside out. He was certainly going to miss his little raccoon friend.

Suddenly, a golden light began to shine from his chest. It was a beautiful feeling; what was within him. The intense emotion that he felt fuelled his actions, and the tree slowly leant forward as to not hurt Rocket, placing a rough branch softly against his cheek. He then gave a sad, rueful smile.

The raccoon's eyes widened in panic. "N-No, Groot-"

He stopped, letting out a dying, sickly cough. His eyes closed in momentary submission. The urge to fall into a deep sleep was gradually becoming stronger for the little guy.

At the sound of Rocket's voice, Groot's branch gently grew out to reach down behind his head, and he slowly lifted it off the ground. For a moment, the tall tree marveled at how tiny the raccoon felt in his grasp; how utterly fragile and weak he seemed, and yet he had once been so strong. How horrible.

It hurt him to see Rocket in pain.

Staring into his best friend's dark orbs, Groot's own gaze glistened with the light of unshed tears, and for once, the tree creature felt with all of his soul, his golden essence only beginning to shine brighter.

"I…," he began, using the tips of his other branch to brush adoringly across Rocket's face.

The raccoon's expression immediately turned into a look of exhausted worry.

He knew exactly what Groot was planning. Still, Rocket tried pleading with his friend one last time.

"W-We didn't know l-last time…"

Another cough escaped him, his frame shaking with it. Rocket stared pleadingly into Groot's eyes.

"If you'd c-come back… p-please don't…"

But as always with Groot, Rocket's words fell upon a pair of both stubborn and honest ears; ones that were keen on staying faithful until the very end.

A long and weary, melancholic sigh escaped him; his body shaking as another far more painful breath moved through him.

Groot's grip tightened slightly, closing his eyes, as he sent the glow from inside him through his branches down into Rocket. The plant moved closer so that his head hung mere inches from Rocket's muzzle, and hovered there for a single, strong moment.

"Groot-"

The raccoon's breath hitched. It hit softly against Groot's face with each shuttering exhale. He could already feel the effects of his friend's life force draining into him.

This - This was the ultimate sacrifice. Groot was doing all of this for him, for only him, and the two of them had no idea if he would ever be coming back. Oh, how he would miss him. All Rocket wanted to do at that point was scream and shove him away; to tell him to "get outta here" or "go find a girl!"

If he could, the raccoon would have forced Groot away, because honestly… there were only so many times that a tree of his species could get away with coming back to life.

Who knew if this would be the last time or not?

As he could feel his muscles becoming stronger and the pain lessening in his side, Rocket could also see Groot's life force fading away from him. He immediately began to struggle in his grasp, but the tree held fast onto his friend, forcing his energy out faster. A single, unselfish tear slipped down his cheek and fell upon Rocket's muzzle. The raccoon could only stare, as tears started to form in his own eyes.

All Rocket wanted to do was yell and tell Groot to go away. That was all that he wanted in that moment. The animal did not care about the concept of dying whenever it was himself that was concerned; being born as an experiment, he was welcome to the thought of dying. But his friend was so special and unique, like none other in the galaxy. His friend was amazing.

His friend was… Groot.

Smiling from above him, his friend lent in closer, placing his surprisingly soft –like leaves– lips just slightly against Rocket's own. Their faces brushed, but not enough to be touching. The raccoon would have almost lent up to fill the space had Groot not suddenly spoken down to him.

"I… am Groot."

Out of excitement, Rocket would have taken him right then and there if he had not been dying. For the first time ever, his friend had finally spoken out of order. Groot had been so wracked with woe earlier that he had stopped mid phrase, and so his friend was starting over where he had stopped earlier. Under normal circumstances, his elation at the oddity would have been okay, but his excitement was totally uncouth at that moment.

Still, shamefully reveling in the feel of him, Rocket settled for allowing Groot to finally rest his lips softly against his own, as his tiny heart broke from the promises that it held, simultaneously hammering within his fading chest. The kiss spoke of many things, like the long-held love and bond between them; of the many hours that they had been spent beside each other either kicking asses or sitting on their own. It told of the numerous inside jokes and the hardships that they had faced together; of the friends that they had made and the people they had lost.

"Thank you."

A few tears rolled down the edges of Rocket's face, as Groot gently moved to sit above him. Gradually, all of the blood that had been lost started to recede back into his body. The experiment could only watch wordlessly, as he waited for the inevitable change that would ultimately take his friend away.

Too soon, in Rocket's opinion, Groot's figure began to fade. It started off as a gentle flicker, but as his image began to drop in and out, he gave Rocket a deep rooted smile that creased at the edges along his bark. From below him, Rocket could only stare sadly, willing his paw to reach out to him. He watched dejectedly, as the last few particles of his bright magic silently floated into the sky.

"I won't forget you," Rocket promised him.

In Groot's eyes, Rocket saw the love that had only grown throughout the years between them. It ashamed the once criminal. He let out a whimpering sigh, as he felt the sensation of Groot's thin aura grabbing hold of his hand.

"I will always love you, friend." A sob passed his lips.

Through the power of Groot's magic and the presence of his friend's disappearing touch, Rocket could feel his own soul breaking free. It was the truth. No matter what happened today, Rocket would always belong to Groot. They were connected to one another; just like the roots of the sturdy earth tree that grew and changed with time, their love had flourished and given birth to some of the most beautiful of blossoms this side of the universe... It was just a shame that they would never get the opportunity to enjoy them together.

A few more shattered tears began to slide down his fur.

"Forever Groot. Forever and ever."

He could feel his own words, as they were carved into his heart.

Groot's grip tightened. With that said, the smile on his face softened further, as he carefully faded away. The small twinkle in his eye was the last to disappear.

Rocket's voice cracked unevenly from behind his tears. "G-G-ro-oot…"

Lying on the freshly cleaned ground, Rocket hoped with all of his being that the look had been a knowing one; that the sparkle in Groot's gaze meant his precious root creature would soon come back to him.

But in the meantime, all he could do was hope, wish, and weep for the future.

And so, he wept.

Well, I hope that was good! Be sure to comment if you liked it, and give me a prompt if you would like to see me write you one! I would love t see more stories about this pairing on here. A person can never have too much Grocket.

With that said, this is Ass signing off~

-Ass