Nebula sighed as she sat on the floor, letting her head fall back against the inner wall of the ship. Their ship, she spurned with hate. The Guardians. How pretentious. They didn't deserve the title. If anyone saw how these fools operated on a day-to-day basis, everyone would be second-guessing their mighty protectors. They literally could not go one conversation without incessantly bickering about something, even if their lives depended on it, which, more often than not considering their lack of luck, it did.
Gamora, the Terran, and the dumb one had left a good while ago, off with that "Ego" for whatever reason. The furry one and his little tree friend were still there in the ship, keeping watch on Nebula...relatively. She and they forgot the other was there, to be honest.
"Enjoyin' the amenities?" Rocket asked, walking past her to his workbench, speaking for the first time since the others had left. "Or does Quill need to improve his upkeep on this hunk a' junk?"
Nebula scowled and shook her cuffed wrists by instinct, preparing an insult. But...she stopped. She didn't find herself harboring much anger towards this one, or his tiny partner for that matter. So far, they were the only ones that had not insulted her in some way.
"Better than the Sovereign's prison," she begrudgingly answered.
Rocket snorted, fiddling with whatever gear he was working on. "Yeah, I'm sure. Not even bein' sarcastic here. They seem like terrible people to be around. Terrible people period. Y'know I wasn't lyin' when I called 'em douche bags? Because they are really, straight-up, one-hundred percent, bonafide douche bags."
"I am Groot?" the small thing asked, standing to the side.
"Yes that really was why I stole their batteries! How's that even a question?! Hell knows I'll get more use outta them anyways."
Nebula frowned, beyond tired of the Guardians' chatter. "I don't suppose you will take my cuffs off, will you?"
"'Fraid not," Rocket said, actually discontented. "Occupational hazard."
Nebula growled, clenching her restrained fists. "Oh you stupid, asinine, cruel—"
"Keep ya pants on, sister," Rocket calmly stopped her with an out-stretched paw, turned away from his equipment. "It ain't anything personal, not by a long shot. Gamora ain't hiding it that she hates you, but I'm a professional. She's so stuck-up right now she couldn't treat a person like a person if she tried. I on the other hand don't let emotions get in the way of the job."
"I am Groot!"
"Th... The batteries were a just irony, Tumbleweed! Not petty!"
"I am Groot?"
"NO! You're NOT pretty! I-I mean, you're...more handsome than pretty. Cute, in a manly way."
"Oh. I am Groot."
"You're welcome, bud."
Nebula groaned and rolled her head. The chatter. How did they maintain such incessant chatter? It was almost admirable.
"I don't see any reason to make ya any less comfortable," Rocket said, clamping two pieces of tech together, "and there's way more productive things to do than make someone miserable, so why bother? Plus, you..." he mumbled with a shrug, barely audible as he scratched at something underneath his shirt, "kinda remind me of myself...a lil' bit, anyways..."
Nebula furrowed her brow, surprised at his sudden moral code, but mostly just unsure of what he had said at the end there. She was tempted to ask, but talking meant effort, and the two of them opening their unintelligent mouths again, so she let it be.
Silence floated in the ship for a few minutes more. Once finally finished with his work, Rocket geared himself up, holding a bunch of weaponry, including what appeared to be land-mines. He kicked a switch, and the bay-door of the ship opened, revealing the woods outside, flooded with darkness.
"I am Groot?" the tiny one asked nervously, walking up to Rocket.
"Don't think we've ever been on this planet before," Rocket answered, scanning the woods. "Don't know what's creepin' around. Plus Quill's gonna get all pissy if I let his ship get blown up more. I gotta bad feelin' we got followed. Sovereign don't seem like the type that'll give up after only losin' once." He snorted. "Pricks."
He turned his head and spoke over his shoulder. "I'll be back when I'm back. Both of you, stay here. Nothin's gettin' in or near this thing...not with me around."
He looked down, and tapped another small device on the floor with his foot: a radio. Music started playing over the ship's speakers, audible from both inside and outside. Rocket sighed in self-satisfaction, humming along with the tune, and strode out into the night to begin prepping his booby traps, leaving Nebula alone with his...pet?
Nebula sighed. She looked at the little thing, it waved hi, and she looked away. So long as it kept its distance, it wouldn't be a problem. She didn't mind the music too much either. In fact, it made for some decent white-noise to fall asleep to. There was certainly nothing else for her to do. She wasn't going to get much conversation out of the tree imp, it currently toddling over to pull the bay-door lever.
"I hope your friend knows what he's doing," she still found herself saying idly, apprehensively fiddling with her cuffs.
"I am Groot."
"Of course..."
Nebula slumped back as best she could, breathing deeply in and out. Everything seemed to fade into nothingness only after a song or two, and her head rolled against her shoulder. Damn, was she exhausted. She thought she would be restless coming out of jail, not lethargic.
She wasn't aware how long she slept for. It didn't feel nowhere near long enough, though. Didn't even start dreaming.
She awoke to an odd feeling. Something was grabbing and wriggling and crawling on her belly. She gasped and flinched instinctively, but sat up and looked downwards quite groggily. It took her a second for her to decide that she couldn't believe her eyes.
The tiny tree was trying to climb onto her, to sleep on her stomach like a puppy. It froze when she woke, and slowly looked up. They both locked eyes for a moment. It waved.
"W-Wha...?" Nebula mumbled, trying to drag herself out of her drowsiness. "N...No? No! Get off of me!" She shook, throwing the creature off of her.
It fell and bonked against the metal floor, not appearing to get hurt easily. It grunted as pushed itself onto its stubby little feet. "I am Groot?"
"I-I do not want to...cuddle!" Nebula tried to say, embarrassed. "I don't need anyone's pity! Especially not yours! Just...stay away from me!"
"I am...Groot..." it urged with despondency.
"I haven't had an full meal in...weeks!" Nebula feebly implored, it all spilling out at once, to a tree. "And none of you are letting me eat the food you have just lying around in the open! You all hate me, I get that, I really do...but I don't even care if they're not ripe! I wouldn't even care if they were rotten! I would've thought that'd be hilarious after all I've done to you! If you're not going to give me food, or take off my cuffs, or do anything remotely helpful for me, then just...go bother somebody else!"
Surprisingly, after a moment of apparent contemplation, the creature quickly inhaled, and toddled away, up to the main control room, out of sight. Nebula sighed and slumped backwards against the wall again, finally alone, finally in silence...if she ignored the music and her gurgling stomach. One of those was easy.
Another song passed, but Nebula couldn't find it in herself to just let go and sleep again. Her stomach only seemed to growl louder and louder. Damnit. For all the things...he had done to her, couldn't he at least have made her not have to eat like a normal person would? She was far from normal anymore anyways. Why not just go the whole way?
Nebula bit her lip. She shook her head. Just as all the pain started flooding back, just when she was about to be consumed by the all the dismal, torturous memories that were forced upon her in place of an actual childhood, just when she thought she was about to lose herself in her enemies' ship:
"I am Groot!"
Nebula jumped, forgetting that she was not in the isolation of prison, not expecting to hear another voice. She looked downward.
The tree creature was back, holding a cup as big as he was, filled with what appeared to be some sort of snack. Crackers?
It seemed too absurd to be true.
"What is this?" Nebula demanded in a whisper.
The tree still looked up at her, still smiling, raising the cup more, trying to offer its own food, like a child... A stupid, dumb, innocent child that didn't know any better, but still wanted to help in whatever feeble little way it could.
Nebula could've sworn she had felt the unfamiliar urge to smile tug at her lips.
"Well...it's better than nothing," she reluctantly decided.
"I am Groot," the thing seemed to agree.
Nebula hesitated, then leaned forward a bit. She awkwardly reached both her cuffed hands forward, and took a small handful of its crackers. It pushed the cup up towards her again, insisting she take more. Nebula felt propelled to do so, and soon found herself holding a good portion of its food.
She hesitated again, glancing from the crackers to their owner. It nodded insistently, demonstrating how to eat by patting its mouth with both of its little hands. Nebula truly smirked then. She gave in, and ate. Oh, the sweet, sweet feeling of getting food in her stomach. Either she was just starving, or these were delicious.
She moved her knees up, settling a bit, breathing in and out. The warm lights of the ship's interior were quite soothing, now that she payed attention to them. And the song that had started playing on the fuzzy one's radio, its melody was rather pleasant too. Lackadaisical, almost...
"It's not time...to make a change. Just relax...take it easy..."
For a small moment, Nebula might've been foolish enough to admit she was enjoying herself.
"Thank you, tiny tree-thing," she said quietly.
"I am Groot," it returned. It plopped down on its rear next to her, still holding its cup.
Nebula looked at her handful, glanced at the creature, then back at her handful. "I am still not going to cuddle with you, you know," she said. "After I eat these, I am going to sleep."
"I am Groot," it said with acknowledgment, chomping down on the rest of its crackers.
NOTES: Guardians of the Galaxy? More like Guardians of Character Development, oh my goodness.
In all seriousness, GOTG 2 is admittedly looser than the first when it comes to plot, but by golly does that mean it was able to take its time with its characters. Every single last one of them was explored and got their chance to shine it almost makes me want to put GOTG 2 right up there with Avengers and Civil War.
If you couldn't tell, I'm an absolute sucker for really hurt and mopey characters, and Nebula is no exception. She needs a blanket. Just get this girl a blanket for goodness' sake that's all she needs. She did get to hug Gamora at the end though which I am still ecstatic about. That was all I was asking for from Guardians 2 tbh. I am so glad that she didn't get left behind. Some of her closure was kinda unspoken and open-ended, but the future exists, and we got much much more than what I feared we could've. Heard she might even be getting a little spin-off or something too. Bless you James Gunn.
Consider this my little break from all the Legend of Korra I've done, me branching out a little bit with another property for a change. Still working back through Book 5 and He's A Man though, making sure they're perfect. I really need to get on those Book 3 Zaofu-episode rewrites, maybe even more Kuvira fluff too. I've got a good handful of scenes written out for both, just gotta make them perfect as well. Adding more "Nebula Nonsense" to this isn't out of the question either, I just don't have any ideas for any future chapters. I'd love to write happier more casual stuff, like the cover photo would suggest (gosh I love that photo). A simple suggestion might give me just the spark I need if you have some! Life has been hard and sad and that really bogs your brain down when you just want to write.
