Gamora's gaze wouldn't leave Peter's, as if there was some kind of magnetic field keeping them lost in each other's eyes. His hands on the small of her back held her close to him while hers remained loosely on his shoulders, simply fitting there as if they belonged. Peter kissed once again her hairline and felt her smile against his stubble before she kissed him on the lips, another passionate kiss to add to their ever-growing collection. Not that he would complain, he could let Gamora kiss him all day.

They kept on swaying to the music coming from the speakers, the Zune plugged on a console a few feet from them in its usual place.

"I still can't believe you made me a sappy playlist…" Gamora said once she broke their kiss and pressed her head in the crook of his neck, making him automatically hold onto her tighter as she sighed contentedly.

"Hey, it's not sappy, it's romantic. Stop complaining, I know you like it anyway."

He grinned when she said "Well, the melody is pleasant."

Sometimes, Peter still couldn't believe his luck. Lately, it seemed as if every single one of his dreams had come true. He had a family, he was loved by the woman of his life and their unspoken thing wasn't unspoken anymore. Peter had dreaded a little bit the moment when they'd have to tell about their relationship to the others, well at least confirm it. But as it turned out, the others already knew and Rocket summed up everyone's thoughts when he said "Took you guys long enough."

And now here they were, not caring if the others saw them, just enjoying each other's presence. It had been a slow process, the last four years together and Peter wouldn't lie telling that it hadn't been all rainbows and butterflies.

But somehow, they made it through and they made it work. Each of them had their own problems, even Peter and Gamora and fitting into a romantic relationship hadn't been easy. He had longed for her for so long and desperately craved her love whereas she was simply afraid of her own emotions. But somehow, they completed each other.

Suddenly, Gamora's dark doe eyes looked up at him. "The man singing, isn't he the one who sang for a queen?"

Peter chuckled.

"Yes, Freddie Mercury. But he didn't sing for a queen, the name of his band was called Queen."

"This is weird."

Peter laughed at that.

"Well, weird is our normal, what did you expect?" He looked at her lovingly. "I can totally relate to this song though."

She returned his smile and there was so much love in her eyes that his heart melted here and there.

Her right hand traveled along the length of his body, sending shivers down his spine, until it rested on his heart. That was one of the things he had started to notice about her after their unspoken thing became spoken, how Gamora had specific gestures when she wanted to express something. How her eyes would soften when she was dancing with him and when everything felt right. How her hand would automatically find his face and remain there whenever he had a nightmare after everything that happened with Ego, Yondu and his mom. How she would claim the left side of the bed without asking once she moved to the captain's quarters with him, also claiming the left side of their dresser, of the bathroom sink, of the shampoo's rack. How her fingers would twitch ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, whenever Thanos or what he had done was mentioned. How aggressive she would become when someone dared threaten one of the Guardians, regardless of the fact that they could all pretty much defend themselves now. How she would sing along with him in the most unexpected moments. How she would now gladly dance with him whenever he asked, whatever the time and place. How she would shyly call him honey, trying it out for the first time. How she would place her hand above his heart every now and then to feel it beating.

"I love you. More than..."

"What the flarg you doin', Pete?"

Peter's eyes snapped open and he found himself standing in the common room of the freshly repaired Milano, his arms lifted in the air and a stupid smile on his face as Rocket looked at his from the entrance of one of the cabins, a look of concern etched on his face rather than amusement. Peter looked down at his arms, but instead of the beautiful and wonderful green skinned woman, there was nothing. His fingers grabbed at the air for a second before his arms fell alongside his body and his smile disappeared. His lips were set in a tight line as he sat back down on a chair, grabbing the bottle that was standing on the table.

"Nothing, just… sorry, I just… zoned out for a moment."

Rocket watched him take a long swig of the Asgardian mead (courtesy of Thor) before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and sitting in such a way that Gamora would have kicked him under the table to make him sit straight, saying he had to show a good example to Groot.

Rocket sighed and jumped on another chair, paw extending towards the bottle. Peter didn't have the heart to argue and passed the bottle. He looked at the raccoon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen, man. I know what you're gonna say and I'm… actually no, I'm not fine and I probably never will be. But I don't want to hear your shrink talk tonight. Not… not tonight…"

He pressed a hand to his face, fatigue etched on his features, a trait all of them seemed to share lately, both those who had turned into dust and those who had stayed. Despite the fact that they had managed to bring everyone back thanks to the stones acting up and some magic mojo Rocket didn't really care to understand, Thanos wasn't done yet. And the Avengers were also looking for a way to bring Vision back, exploring possibilities, the Time Stone being their most hopeful one.

And Rocket hoped that, if they were able to bring Vision back, they would also be able to bring Gamy back. Not only for Peter, but for all of them. Gamora was not only their co-leader, she was also their friend, their family. The Guardians were incomplete without her.

"We got your back, Pete. Whatever you decide to do about Vormir, we got you."

He took a swig of the mead and bitterly remembered how Peter had come to own the damn thing in the first place. After they somehow managed to find Thanos living a freaking peaceful retirement for da'st sake, they had been able to reverse the latest action of the Gauntlet, which was the eradication of half of the universe. But Thanos didn't stay idle and fled. Some of the others were still tracking him down, others had returned to Wakanda to prepare, making it their base for the next weeks where everyone could return and be safe. Most of them went there to regroup, to train, to prepare and try to find solutions. Thor for instance stayed there and worked with Wanda to try and bring Vision, Loki and all the Asgardians back. Nebula was among those who hunted Thanos and Drax chose to follow her, along some of the Avengers.

Rocket had remained on the Milano with Peter, not because he jokingly said he was the captain, but because he had been the last Guardian standing. He had worked with Stark and Rogers and all of those left, and some new allies, to bring the others back. Now, he acted as the liaison between the Avengers and the Guardians. Peter had made it very clear that he was only interested in killing Thanos, the rest didn't matter. So until then, he spent his days sulking, drinking and moving around the Quadrant like a ghost without a purpose. When the Guardians parted ways with the Avengers, on the pretext that they needed to take care of Gamora's body and would look for Thanos from space, Thor had given Peter the bottle of Asgardian mead and said "You'll need it. Only this will numb you enough, trust me, I know." As if that hadn't killed the mood.

Rocket got where the thunder dude came from, but he didn't think the alcohol was making Peter's situation any better. It was a temporary fix that would eventually destroy him, if his grief didn't do it first. But Rocket had no miracle solution this time, no fancy machinery that would bring Gamora back or pull Peter out of his misery.

So one day he had told Peter to come with him to the Milano and just take a break. Peter had followed aimlessly, his eyes a void that seriously scared Rocket. But the raccoon just couldn't bring himself to go to Vormir just yet, not without Peter being ready, if he ever was going to be.

Peter just nodded and took the bottle back, taking another huge gulp before settling it on his lap, his eyes lost in the emptiness mirroring the one in his heart. Rocket then left him alone and climbed back to the cockpit where Kraglin piloted (the Quadrant safely remaining in Wakanda). Mantis and Groot were somewhere on the ship, probably sleeping since it was the middle of the night.

Just as the raccoon's tail disappeared, the last words of the song could be heard and Peter cried silently for the millionth time since he was back.