Ronan seemed to be an unfeeling rock, Nebula mused sadly, sitting on the floor in the large chamber she and Gamora shared. She had tried all her usual tricks, using her eyes, playing loyal (well, it wasn't really playing with Ronan, but she would never let him know that.) Despairing, she put her head in her hands, when suddenly Gamora entered the room. Nebula quickly jerked up, but Gamora had seen the movement. "Ronan requests your presence," she said, quickly followed by "Is everything okay?"
"Yes!" Nebula snapped, relishing the look of hurt and annoyance that flashed across Gamora's face. Gamora straightened her shoulders and left the room with a curt nod, dark brown hair swishing down her back. Once she was gone, Nebula couldn't contain the smile that stretched her blue lips. Ronan had requested her presence? A thought came to her, widening the smile. Since he had sent Gamora to deliver the message, he wanted her alone. A second thought wiped the smile off her face. What if she was in trouble? Or worse, if the summons was just another terse meeting over plans, intently watching him with no response. Nebula mastered her features into their usual stony mask, then set off for Ronan's war room.
Ronan watched, sitting on an uncomfortable chair in the war room as if it were a throne, as Nebula entered the room. She looked up at him, liquid black eyes full of some emotion he could not read. Ronan rose. "Do you know why I have called you here?"
Nebula looked straight into his eyes, but spoke quietly. "No." His eyes, she observed, were a beautiful blue, kind of indescribable. Nothing natural she had ever seen was that color.
"Well, I have noticed some strange behaviors you seem to be exhibiting of late." Ronan's deep voice roused her from her thoughts. I really need to stay more focused, Nebula thought. Wait, he said what? Nebula's lips curved upwards on one side. So he at least took notice of her. That was a start. She chose to push her luck.
"Like what?" Nebula replied, forcing her face back to normal.
Ronan began to count off a list on his fingers, Nebula's smirk rolling around in his mind. "One: you've been very hostile towards Gamora for a while now. More than usual," he adds, hoping for another smirk. He is strangely pleased when Nebula's lips quirk up again. "Two, you are always distracted. Three, you don't participate as much as you used to in meetings with anyone."
Nebula finally rips her gaze off him and rests it on the floor to mutter a quick "I'm sorry."
"And four, I feel like you're always watching me!" Ronan looks slightly agitated and has begun to pace up and down the room, a usual thing for him. Farther from Nebula, then closer to her. Nebula studies him carefully. He looks genuinely worried. For her. Nebula is torn between laughing it off and telling him everything, when he bursts out "You're doing it again! What is going on?"
She has ruled out laughing now, and lets out a sigh, hanging her head. At this sight, Ronan stops his orbit to face her and waits. When she looks back up (straight into his eyes, of course), Ronan can see that hers are filled with tears. It is in this moment that he realizes: he cares. Ronan reached his hand out to wipe her tears away, at the exact moment that Nebula blinked them back. His hand stayed in the air, steady, offering her something. Nebula stared into his eyes for about the third time that day, this time in disbelief. She took his hand slowly, but her grip was strong.
Ronan looked at her face carefully, eyes flicking back and forth as Nebula turned to stone once again. He could see nothing in her eyes.
It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing, Nebula chanted mentally, trying to hold on to both her hope and the truth. His hand was a slightly different shade of blue than hers, and much bigger. It was warm and strong and felt comforting like nothing else had. His closeness and yet their distance was infuriating, and the hand not in Ronan's was clenched into a fist. She let her nails dig into her palms, the small sting grounding her.
Ronan felt his frustration begin to rise. Nebula was insufferable. One second, she was leading him to believe one thing, then the next, she was completely closed off! What were her true motives? He was curious, an emotion he did not care for. Ronan steeled himself. He was a little out of practice in this sort of thing, and this seemed to be the only path to take.
Nebula's eyes opened wide as she suddenly felt Ronan's arms around her and his lips conquering hers. She sighed into his mouth (don't kid yourself, that was a moan), then responded with equal ferocity, her arms slipping over his armored shoulders. Now it was Ronan's turn to be shocked. Nebula could taste the black paint on his bottom lip, sweet and strange.
Nebula finally broke the kiss, keeping her face close to his. "What was that for?" she murmured, voice low.
Ronan said nothing, but made no effort to conceal the smile creeping onto his lips. He tightened his hold on Nebula, one arm around her waist, the other cupping her face. His fingers gently stroked the metal on the side of her face. "I wanted to know what you wanted," he said quietly, failing to filter out the emotion in his voice.
Upon hearing his words, Nebula moved to hug Ronan.
Ronan had not been hugged in years. His body stiffened slightly at the contact, and the painful memories of his family it brought back. These feelings went away slightly when Nebula rested her head right over his heart. Her devotion and love was obvious. Ronan did not know the depth of his own feelings, but Nebula had become more than just a lieutenant. He relaxed his muscles and bowed his head slightly over Nebula's shoulder, painted cheek brushing against cold metal.
Suddenly, the doors opened with a whoosh. Nebula reflexively jumped away into a fighting stance, and Ronan's hands flew to his hammer. Nebula's cheeks were flushed, at which Gamora, standing casually in the doorway, raised an eyebrow.
Ronan frowned. "Why are you here? I did not call you."
"Why was I not called in the first place? I am equally as capable as Nebula." Gamora's tone was mild, almost teasing. Nebula glared at her, clearly sending a message.
"Leave," Ronan commanded, soft but forceful. Gamora gave a smirk disturbingly similar to Nebula's and exited. When the door closed, Nebula giggled, a bubbling sound that he had never heard from her. "She knows, doesn't she?" Ronan said, holding in laughter of his own. "Bring her back in."
"No!" Nebula protested, half joking.
Ronan opened the door and strode out. "Gamora?" His low voice carried throughout the hall.
"Yes?" A slinky green form appeared from around the corner. Ronan beckoned to her.
Once all three of them were back in the war room, Nebula immediately dove into the subject. "How long have you known?"
"Known what?" Gamora asked, feigning innocence.
"You know!" Nebula snapped, pointing to Ronan, silent and hiding his smile with a hand.
"Well, it was easy," Gamora shrugged, cool and indifferent. She turned her head to look at Ronan while still talking to Nebula. "You talk about him all the time."
Nebula's cheeks were approaching navy. "I do not!" she insisted, voice forming a dangerous edge.
"Yeah." Gamora said, nodding. "You forget we share a bedchamber."
"And what does she say about me?" Ronan interrupted, amused.
"It's more like moaning, honestly. All night." Gamora shook her head.
Nebula looked on the verge of bursting into flames. "Thank you, Gamora. You are dismissed," Ronan said regally.
-whoosh-
In one swift movement, Ronan pulled Nebula onto his lap. He could feel the heat radiating off her face. "Is this true?" he asked, holding one of her hands loosely.
"I-I don't know," she said, flustered.
"Either way, I suppose I'll know soon enough." The implications of this soaked into Nebula's brain, rendering her speechless as Ronan kissed her again.