Gamora had already forgotten the name of the planet they were on. But right now, with Peter, just strolling through the marketplace together- it was nice.
She knew he liked to think of them as informal dates, even though they really did need to pick up supplies, and she'd told him not to call it that a million times lest they want to hear Rocket making fun of them for it for the rest of the week. These were supply runs, not dates.
Though, she had to admit, they were quite a bit more leisurely than running errands usually were. And something about the sweet, fizzly drink Peter had in one hand as he noisily sucked out of his straw, and how his other hand wasn't quite holding hers, but was instead holding onto her pinky finger at her side as they ambled through the crowded marketplace and took in the sights felt incredibly date-ish. Especially since this section of the market place seemed to be entertainment geared, trying to draw in crowds (busking, Peter had called it). He said the stalls reminded him of a fair, and when she asked what a fair was, all he had to say was "this".
But it was nice. Her pinky entangled with his as they walked together, the day warm, but not too warm.
They still had yet to pick up the cables they actually came into market to get, but they had time. They had time to dwell on the sights for as long as they'd like, flitting from one attraction to the next in the staggered stalls. They could take in the sights and be part of the crowd for once, like the normal couples and families that filled the market that day.
The stall before them now featured particularly flexible and beautiful dancing, accompanied by live music. The performer twisted her body into shapes and forms that are at once elegant and passionate.
"Woah," Peter breathed, and she followed his line of sight, staring at the admittedly transfixing dancer. "How does she do that?"
Gamora found a tingle of jealousy coming over her at the amazement in his tone as he watched the scantily clad woman demonstrate her skills.
Gamora narrowed her eyes into almost a glare, muttering under her breath, "It's not that impressive."
Even though if she had been standing there alone and not hand in hand with Peter who was very wowed at the demonstration, Gamora might have been the slightest bit impressed too.
Suddenly Peter whipped his head back to her, catching her off guard, startling her a bit before she could get the pissed off/jealous look off her face.
"I mean, you can see her spine, right?" He asked excitedly, a spark in his eyes that was a mix of curiosity and some childish wonder. "The bony ridges on her back? Like she has a frickin' spine, how can anyone move like that when they have a spine? You have to be an invertebrate to bend like that. Oh my god that's insane. It almost hurts my back just watching her. Or like, all my bones," an involuntary shudder escaped him. "Oh my god, did you see that? How does she do that backwards?!" Peter exclaimed in utter delight, and even though he'd never been to the circus on earth as a kid, he imagined this must have been what seeing the acrobats was like.
"Tell the truth, you think those ridges are painted on to add to the shock value and convince everyone she has an endoskeleton?"
At his question, Gamora peered closer at the dancer, who's midriff was bare and back exposed every time she turned around. Gamora could see the impressions of her spine under her skin as she shifts and spins and arches, again and again.
"No, that's really her spine," she confirmed.
"Damn. That's crazy," Peter said, already tugging on her hand and dragging her to the next stall.
Later that night, back in their bedroom, Gamora found herself feeling slightly jealous of how impressed he was with the dancer's anatomy.
It wasn't that special, but he was acting like damn spine mobility was something amazing. Like it was something inspiring. It wasn't a big deal.
And while she should probably be glad that her former-lady's man boyfriend was so astounded by another woman's spine rather than other certain parts of a female anatomy that Gamora would probably feel more justified being jealous about.
But no, he was freaking out about how cool it was that someone could have a skeleton and still do stuff like that.
It wasn't anything about sexual appeal, the reason the other woman caught his attention. It was almost like a childlike wonderment after seeing feats of strength and other performances.
She shouldn't feel jealous over it. Over something like flexibility.
It was stupid that she was feeling this pulling of jealousy over this. Peter was just impressed.
Gamora was usually the one who impressed him.
"Oh my god, and when she did the thing with holding her foot and bending back at the same time, with her foot over her head, like what the what?" Peter gushed, still chattering so excitedly about it when come on.
"It's not that hard to do," Gamora scoffed.
He raised his eyebrows at her in response.
Gamora turned to him, like she just issued herself a challenge, and while maintaining eye contact the whole time, she perfectly mimicked the pose of the dancer
She couldn't move out of it in the seamless form the dancer did, and she couldn't do many of the positions the dancer could in the first place, but she was lucky Peter brought up a position Gamora knew she was capable of nailing with her impressive mobility.
It was almost like stretching, this pose. Where she leaned backwards, held herself on one leg, her other bent up in the air behind her head, and holding her ankle with her hand.
Like a swan dancer, Peter thought.
His eyes widened as she moved, and there was an incredible amount of satisfaction she felt at how amazed he was when she not only got in position, but holds it.
She stayed in the pose for a solid 15 seconds before she let herself down, looking entirely to pleased with herself when she found him speechless.
"Holy shit, Gamora," Peter whispered with something like reverence. "I thought you had a spine."
She couldn't help herself, and the laughter burst from her lips as he levied the accusation against her.
"What else can you do?" He asked, like he just discovered some super power of hers. "Oh, can you do a bridge?"
"A bridge?"
"Yeah, it's where you, like," Peter said, then mimed bending backwards and holding himself up a la bridge style without actually doing it, because he so could not do a bridge.
Gamora raised her eyebrows at him, but followed through on his directions, bending back and catching herself on her hands, successfully completing the bridge.
"Like this?" She asked, holding herself up, arching her back even further. It felt like a nice stretch.
"Yup, perfect. Back in elementary school like all the girls in my class could do this. I remember trying to learn from them, and I just fell and hit my head on the ground so many times. And that was when I was like 7. I'm way past the height of my flexibility now. But damn, you're like, actually good at this. Should've known. You're good at everything."
Gamora felt herself positively glow at that compliment of his, and she wasn't even a little bit ashamed of how proud she was at being able to impress him over something so simple.
When she decided she was finished, she pushed herself off the ground by her hands and stood up much like she was rewinding how she fell back to do the bridge in the first place, and Peter actually gasped at that.
"Not gonna lie, I'm a little bit turned on by you standing up just now."
She shook her head at him with a smile. He was ridiculous.
Still, she made her way over to where he was seated on the bed before straddling his lap and kissing him. Peter hummed into her lips, threading his hand through her hair.
"Mm, if you're gonna show me a new skill set every time then maybe I should make you jealous more often," Peter murmured into her lips.
Gamora instantly pulled back, looking shocked, embarrassed, and mildly appalled.
"You- you knew?!"
She didn't need his nod of confirmation, the impish smile and the spark in his eyes at the reveal was enough. That little bit of laughter and mischievousness in his eyes was more than enough confirmation that yes, he fully knew she was jealous the whole time.
"Why do you think I kept bringing it up when we got back?" He smirked. "Hardly the most amazing thing we saw today. I think the highlight was the color-changing Schreklis. I mean, it's cute when you're clenching your fists in public, but it's much more fun messing with you when we're at home and you can fuck me," Peter shrugged with an innocent smile on his face, and her jaw dropped.
Gamora wished she had a clever comeback, but she didn't. She had nothing.
Instead, she crashed her lips to his, roughly tugging at his collar and just ripping his clothes off of him.
"I hate you," she said, biting his lip particularly harshly, and Peter groaned.
"I know," he smirked all cocky and smug, and she couldn't find the will in herself to do anything other than kiss him.
So she didn't try.
AN: So I actually wrote 99% of this before IW came out, but Gamora's "it's not that impressive" is basically Peter's "tall guy, not that good looking"