It had been several cycles since they had become a team, saved the galaxy, and were no longer wanted criminals.
Despite all of the events that had occurred, they were still trying to get used to each other.
"-I think I would know whether or not I built a bomb, Quill."
"Rocket, it is literally counting down to 'self-destruct! Can we please get it off of the ship?"
"The count downs for when the toast is ready to go in again!"
"Rocket! It says, 'self-destruct', as in self-destruct!"
"Stop being such a cry baby, Quill-"
"-I thought Peter was a fully grown Terran?"
"-You wanted toast, and now that you're getting it you're all like, 'No, Rocket, I wanted toast, not imminent death,' Like, come on man, you know you're going to have one with the other"
"I am Groot."
"'Imminent Death'?! So, it is going to blow up?"
Gamora sighed from her position at the 'Team Table', as Peter had named it, as she watched her so-called team bicker over the contraption that Rocket had presented. Peter and Rocket had been arguing for over half an hour now (Peter was teaching them Terran time scales), and quite frankly she was getting sick of it.
It had been a peaceful start to the day, as Peter had been introducing them Terran time, he had slowly converted them to his own sleeping patterns so they were all awake and asleep at similar times, despite the struggle in the beginning (Gamora didn't actually require nearly as much sleep as Peter or Rocket did), she was beginning to find it helped them to develop a clear schedule for each day, allowing them to share meals together and managed business in an organised manner. This day start had begun in the usual manner for Gamora, she had woken before Peter but after Drax, she then sparred with the green skinned male for a short while before showering (making sure to get in be Peter, who was a very messy person), she then dressed for the day and entered the 'Chill Room', to which she found the current predicament.
"Well, maybe not imminent death, a bit of harmful maiming at worst... probably."
The previous night, Rocket had found a small silver box, which Peter had claimed was a toaster, he had explained that it had broken a while ago, but hadn't had the heart to throw it out ("Does the box require a sacrifice?"). Unfortunately, Rocket took that as a request for him to fix the devices, claiming that he would make it the 'best damn toaster in the galaxy'.
"Oh, wow, thanks Rocket, we won't die, we'll just probably lose a few limbs!"
Rocket had entered in the morning, claiming he had made improvements to the toaster, including a deadly laser and other weapons. Understandably, Peter was sceptical of the device, and when he placed his two pieces of bread into toaster, they had burnt within seconds, spat across the room, and then exploded.
Then the machine started to count down.
To self-destruct.
"Well, you don't really need both of your arms!"
"Sixty clicks until self-destruct."
"Rocket! Please!"
"We don't know if it's actually going to explode! I think we should just wait and see."
Gamora closed her eyes for a few moments, praying that someone would come to their senses so that they could actually eat their breakfast soon, she was really looking forward to the NovaPops they had picked up on Xandar on their last visit.
Looking up, she made eye contact with Baby Groot, the small tree being watching Rocket and Peter shout at one another with wide eyes, Groot gave her a small nod, and with a sigh, she stood, picked the toaster up, exited the ship, and kicked the damned toaster as far as she could.
The rest of her team followed her out, and together, as they stood on Gloth, a moon orbiting the trade planet Vuonos, the watched as the small metal object travelled further from them. As it crashed on the ground, the Guardians collectedly hold their breaths to see if it does explode.
"See! I told you it was fine, and now Gamora's just gone and thrown out a perfectly fine toast-"
Rocket is cut off by the gigantic explosion from the toaster.
"I am Groot."
"Yeah, breakfast it is."
They're still getting used to one another, interacting, and being in each other's spaces, it's a slow process but they're learning each other's ticks and triggers, like making sure Drax knows when you've entered the room, or the fact that Rocket likes to be petted on his head but not on his back. Peter isn't quite used to sharing yet, but he's getting better at it, and Gamora is learning it's okay to express her emotions around her friends. Groot doesn't have any 'pet peeves' (as Peter calls them), but they take the time to figure out his language because they know that Rocket can't be expected to translate all the time.
They figure out that they naturally turn to Peter as their leader, after a few almost failed missions where they each tried to lead, which ended in too many close calls and miscommunication. They find themselves falling into a natural order when on missions or in professional circumstances, the struggle if finding the order in their down time.
Because they may have saved the galaxy.
And they may be become friends and a team.
But, truthfully, they were still strangers.
"We should go out today." Gamora announced as she entered the cockpit of the ship.
"What do you mean?" Peter asked, turning towards her.
"We should go and have a day off and start to understand one another." Gamora spoke, she couldn't help but keep herself tense, something she had been taught as a child because weakness was not tolerated with Thanos, and it was punished.
Peter looked at his teammates for a few moments before he came to a conclusion, "Alright, sweet, team bonding, this is going to be exciting." The Terran man clapped his hands with a smile growing on his face, "Where should we go? Anyone want to go somewhere specific?"
"My daughter always wanted to see the gardens of Poeter," Drax spoke with fondness, "She claimed that they were the most beautiful gardens in all of the galaxy."
"I am Groot."
"Okay, I'm in too." Rocket spoke as he and Groot made their way to their shared seat.
"That okay with you, Gamora?" Peter asked her.
With a smile and a nod, the Guardians were off.
The Gardens of Poeter
POETER
ANDROMEDA
The gardens were indeed the most beautiful thing that Gamora had seen.
Various flowers, plants, and crystals grew everywhere, including on the glass ceiling of the planet. The whole landscape was covered in multiple colours, with varying degrees of sparkle and glitter.
It was truly breath-taking.
"I am glad that I am able to experience this with you, my friends, I believe that Kamaria would have truly loved this place." Drax told them as the strolled down the path looking at the Yamian crystals.
"I, too am glad that we are experiencing this together," Gamora admitted with a soft smile on her face. She had never been allowed to do this sort of thing under the control of neither Thanos nor Ronan, but she was finding that she enjoyed it immensely.
"So, there's like stuff from almost every planet in this garden?" Peter questioned.
"Yeah, they sent scouts out every few years to pick up samples so that they can catalogue everything." Rocket replied, as he picked Groot from the floor and placed the small creature on his shoulder. "We've got to keep an eye on Groot to make sure that they don't try and take him."
"Is there any Earth, err, Terran plants?"
"I am Groot."
"Groot says that's there's an information stop at the end of this section." Rocket translates.
"Do you miss you home planet?" Gamora asks Peter, turning to look at him.
"Sorta," Peter scratches the back of his head. "I mean, I think I miss the idea of it, and I know it's probably changed a lot since I was there. I don't think I miss it, it's more I miss the idea of home, ya know?"
"I understand," Drax tells them from the front of the group, "I too have similar feelings towards my own home. I understand that my family is gone, and that things have changed, so I do not feel that I miss it, more I miss what it was."
"Exactly," Peter says, "What about you guys?"
"Nah, I don't remember most of it, and the parts I do remember are kinda shitty." Rocket says flippantly, not wanting to focus on the negatives of his existence.
"I am Groot," Groot speaks.
"Groot says that he gets home sick, but he's happy here with us, so it's not too bad anymore." Rocket smiles at Groot on his shoulder.
"I do not remember my birth home, all I know is Thanos, so I can't say that I miss it, but sometimes I miss the good parts," Gamora speaks softly, "I know that Thanos was terrible, but he was still my father, and occasionally he was kind and nurturing, and I miss that, back when I got on with my siblings."
"Hey," Peter approaches her and places a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, he was all you knew, and it's understandable that you grew attached to it, as long as you get that he was bad, then we know that you're probably only going to gently stab us."
The group laugh as Gamora gently shoves Peter away from her.
This feels good, thinks Gamora, it feels like belonging. It feels like a family.
And that's when the first explosion hits.
