EmeraldMoonGreen requested this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The Guardians of The Galaxy belong to Marvel and Disney. I own nothing!

Even A Guardian Needs Comfort

Rocket moved through the ship quietly, thinking about the past missions the Guardians had been on. Taking down Ronan had no doubt been the toughest challenge for them, at least that's was how he looked at it.

Back on that planet, when Drax had gone to face Ronan for killing his family and lost it because of his quest for revenge, Rocket remembered what he had said about dead people. Now that he thought about it, what he said at the time now seemed like it had been unfair to Drax, then again, life wasn't fair and Rocket knew that from his own past.

His small, sharp ears picked up a strange sound. It sounded like someone was crying and trying to keep it in. His curiosity piqued, he moved towards the sleeping quarters and looked in.

He almost couldn't believe his eyes. The big man known as The Destroyer, a man who was perhaps as strong as Groot, the same man who had stood with them and helped defeat Ronan, was hunched over, holding something in his hand. Rocket saw it was a picture and knew immediately that it was a picture of Drax with his wife and daughter.

The same ones Ronan had mercilessly slaughtered, not even giving them a chance to surrender. He just killed them without a second look.

Rocket stepped in. "Drax?" he asked. "You okay?"

Drax turned to the raccoon, tears running down his face and shook his head, turning back to the picture. Rocket moved closer until he stood beside the big man and glanced at the picture. "Hey," he said. "I'm not good at apologies, big guy, but I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said about dead people. Even though I haven't lost someone close to me, it wasn't fair of me to say, even if I didn't agree with leading Ronan straight to us."

Drax looked at Rocket. "You were right though, about me being so blinded by my thirst for revenge," he said. "It could have cost me."

They became silent and Rocket remembered how when he had been crying about Groot when the Ent had shielded them all and ended up being blown to pieces, Drax had been the first to comfort him and pat him, silently telling him that he understood. Drax had even helped Rocket take care of Groot when he was just a sprout in the flowerpot and now Groot was back to his tall self, thanks to them and Peter and Gamora.

Rocket reached his paw up and patted Drax's back for a moment before he moved his hand away and it brushed Drax's side, making the big man jump and a chuckle spilled out, catching the raccoon's attention.

Now curious, Rocket reached up and wiggled his paw into Drax's side again, causing the big man to react even more and the chuckles became a bit of laughter. Hearing the laughter made Rocket feel different as he realized how he could help Drax feel better.

"Cowabunga!" he said and leapt on Drax's back, tickling him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GET OFF, LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!" Drax laughed, but Rocket only continued, laughing along as he realized he was having too much fun to get angry at Drax for calling him a pipsqueak.

Well, it was better than 'vermin'.

Drax laughed harder and fell to the floor, making Rocket scurry up and land on the big man's stomach, tickling him there, making Drax practically gasp now as his laughter became the loudest and he tried to stop the raccoon, who moved too fast for him.

Until Drax rolled toward the wall and bumped into it, making Rocket almost lose his balance a moment, which helped Drax to catch the mischievous raccoon in his hands.

"Sneaky little raccoon," Drax grinned. "You should know, I played the same tickle game with my daughter before she died and I know just how to get back at someone who tickles me."

Rocket was feeling a bit worried, but then felt the man's fingers wiggling into his sides and stomach, switching to his feet, underarms, and neck occasionally. The smallest Guardian squealed with laughter as he managed to tickle Drax again, who kept tickling him.

Their playfulness and laughter were heard by Groot, who stood nearby with a smile on his face. He then noticed the picture Drax had dropped and picked it up, studying it a moment and then setting it down on the nearby table, looking back at his two friends as they continued to playfully tickle torture each other.

Yes, even a Guardian needs comfort sometimes, and tickles were often the best comfort, especially when they are from a friend and brother.

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418