Rocket's nightmares didn't go away entirely, it wasn't the kind of thing someone could just cure like that, but with Gamora they weren't as often and it was easier to come out of them. On the other hand, the bad dreams were getting more creative. They used to typically revolve around either reliving his time on Halfworld or something awful happening to Groot. Making friends just gave the night terrors more ammunition. Rocket was haunted by images of not only being recaptured by the scientists, but all of his friends being captured too, and it was all his fault. But it wasn't real, and dreams couldn't hurt him. Not anymore.

Groot was the first to find out about Rocket and Gamora's sleeping arrangement, on account of sharing a room with Rocket. At least he couldn't tell Quill and Drax. The tree teased Rocket about it occasionally.

The pair of cyborgs were in Gamora's quarters, smelling scents. Rocket sat in Gamora's lap, contented and letting her pet him. At first glance the room would appear as it always had, but a closer look would show evidence of Rocket's extended presence. It was still tidy, but raccoon hair was everywhere. A box full of machine parts wound up on the floor next to the dresser. Among Gamora's trinkets were a handful of gadgets and baubles the small mechanic made for her. On the wall beside the sword collection was the addition of a dreamcatcher, created by Rocket. The hoop was covered in a durable orange fabric, and metal fasteners dotted both the hoop and web. He was determined to make it functional, so it was built with face recognition and lasers to stop anyone who wasn't on the team from intruding into the room.

The smell was a strong one, so they left the door cracked. It swung open as Quill burst into the room.

"Hey Gamora, have you seen my-" The man paused, surprise was written all over his face.

Rocket quickly jumped out of Gamora's lap and onto the bed, his fur bristled and tail stiffened. "Dammit Quill!" This, and the bed-sharing thing, were their secrets. Both of the cyborgs had reputations to uphold

Quill laughed, wearing a goofy grin as usual. "This is what you guys have been up to? I thought you two were doing it."

Gamora folded her arms as she gave the intruder a calm, yet threatening glare. "And what if we were? How would you react?"

Both Rocket and Quill's mouths hung open for a brief moment, until the procyon composed himself into an accomplished smirk. He was speechless, and couldn't believe that she was entertaining the idea even jokingly.

Rocket didn't know how long it took after they started sharing a bed, but he found himself having certain unwanted feelings. They should have known it would happen in this situation, it was only natural. What he felt was more than friendship, an infatuation for a woman that would never reciprocate.

Of course Rocket found Gamora attractive from the get-go, he figured he'd have to be blind not to, but he didn't want her to know that. Everyone knew what happened every time Quill made a pass at her. But between the threats and exasperation, she often flirted back with the Terran. Rocket thought that it would only be a matter of time before Gamora and Star-Dork hooked up.

But her being hot wasn't what drew Rocket to her. Once they got to know each other, it was her personality. She was also forcibly turned into a cyborg, so she understood Rocket on a fundamental level that even Groot couldn't truly relate to.

"I would be a little weirded out, but then I'd get over it and want both of you to be happy. I've been with weirder." The Terran said in an honest tone.

"Good answer." She replied firmly.

"Wait, are you hooking up or not?" Quill asked, looking confused.

"We are not," Gamora declared.

"Yet." Rocket teased, sticking out his tongue. It was all show.

Quill sighed and left the room as Gamora rolled her eyes.

The smaller cyborg turned his attention back to the woman. "What was that all about? Don't you and him have a thing?"

She shook her head. "There is nothing between Peter and I, I just enjoy making him think he has a chance. And that was not an invitation."


Despite Gamora's warnings, he saw a chance and he needed to take it. He assumed she would turn him down, and even if she accepted it would be as friends. Maybe that would be enough.

Rocket was showing Gamora something on a tablet when the Milano landed for a simple cargo drop.

"I've been here before," he said. "It ain't half bad. Maybe we could go out on the town later."

"So, a date?" She raised an eyebrow.

"S'not a date. Just thought we could celebrate our arrangement working out so far, spending time together as friends, teammates." Bedmates, Rocket added in his mind unhelpfully. "My treat."

"It must be a date if you're paying." Gamora eyed him carefully. "Unless you were planning to steal our way."

"Nah, I'll be good. Don't get used to it. Wear something you can move in."

"I don't dance," she stated flatly.

Rocket sneered at the suggestion. "Since when am I Quill? There's a sparring facility where ya can practice fighting in a bunch of scenarios, like low gravity or simulated weather. Thought you'd wanna check it out, get a bite to eat after."

A hint of a smile formed on her face. "That sounds pleasant."


Gamora met Rocket near the ship's airlock. He casually presented a flower to her, absently scratching the back of his head. It had purple petals in the shape of a five-pointed star.

"It is lovely. I will have to thank Groot when we get back." Before leaving, she put the flower in a vase with some water to keep it healthy.

After a short walk, the pair arrived at their destination. After signing a waiver stating that they would not hold the place accountable for any injury, and equipping themselves with lightweight padded armor, they entered a room and chose an environment. Gamora was not one to hold back, even when sparring, but she needed to try. Despite Rocket's implants he was relatively frail. Not that he would appreciate being thought of as such. Guns and the like weren't allowed, so they had to settle for hand-to-hand and padded swords. They fought each other through several settings, and were thoroughly exhausted. Gamora was unquestionably the stronger of the two and had size on her side, but Rocket's unconventional tactics caught her off-guard more than a few times.

The streets were bathed in the teal light of the planet's atmosphere, the sky reflected against the tall chrome buildings. As they walked, Gamora noticed that the raccoon was winded, and poorly hiding a limp. She allowed herself to appear visibly worried. "I hurt you."

"I'm fine." The raccoon shrugged it off and continued walking.

A blue-skinned man, probably Kree, stood in their path. "My, my. You are exceedingly attractive for one who is not Kree."

Rocket's ears pulled back in anger, shooting daggers at the man with his eyes. "She ain't interested you sleazy krutacker."

Gamora's face expressed mild displeasure at the unwanted advance. The anger of her companion was no real surprise, but she had not expected him to get this enraged about it.

"Your pet has quite the mouth," the man said, smirking.

The raccoon reached for the gun on his back and bared his fangs. "Why you-"

"Rocket, don't," Gamora interrupted, and placed her hand in front of her companion. She turned to him. "He's not worth it." He gave her an upset, uneasy look, but he let go of the gun.

"Hmph!" The Kree scowled. "I'm worth more than you lot are."

"Unlikely," Gamora said as she delivered a swift kick to the man's groin. He dropped to the ground, holding himself. The unlikely pair continued onward, ignoring the man's cries.

They reached the restaurant Rocket suggested, and were quickly seated. She was expecting a trashy bar, and was pleasantly surprised. It was not fancy by any means, but this place had a clean and respectable appearance.

Gamora looked at her date sternly. "Rocket, I appreciate what you did back there, but I do not want you fighting my battles for me. You know I need no one to defend me."

"Think of it as me havin' your back like I know you got mine," he replied.

The meal was delicious, and continued as normal until Rocket started drinking.

After his second drink, Rocket stood on his chair and pointed an accusatory finger at Gamora, his eyes dark. "You knew it was a date, and you came anyway. Why? Pity? To make Quill jealous?"

The assassin bit her lip. It was a fair question. Why indeed? Gamora told herself this wasn't about romance, but she couldn't deny that she had recently become far more attached to Rocket than she would care to admit.

She glared with disappointment. "I came because I enjoy your company. Don't do this."

He sat back down and slumped into the seat, hunched over the table. "Look at us. Your ass could stop a starship, and I...I'm a-a beast, a monster. What the flark was I thinkin', a girl like you an' a thing like me."

"Come on, we're leaving," she commanded. Gamora lifted her companion up and placed him over her shoulder.

"Hey, leggo! Put me down!" Rocket squirmed, but was drunk enough to not be coordinated.

She ignored him as she payed and exited the establishment.

"This date was most enjoyable until you started drinking. Let me tell you something. You are no monster. I should know, I was raised by one."

Upon entering the Milano, Gamora went to her room. She lay on the bed and placed Rocket on her stomach. His snout rested between her breasts as she gently stroked the fur on his head.

"What the scientists did to you, what Thanos did to me, those things do not have to define us. We can be more than that," Gamora said softly.

"Didya mean everythin' you said back there?"

She gave him a faint smile. "Every word."

The raccoon lifted himself up and moved his face near hers. "Gammy, I- this is sudden but-" He leaned in as if intending to kiss her, but he hesitated, likely fearing her wrath for attempting such an action.

Gamora put a finger up to his mouth. "Rocket, I know you will take this the wrong way, so listen carefully. For most of my life, love was considered a weakness. Now I know that is wrong. Love is charming, naive, a luxury. One I cannot afford." Her smile became a sad one.

He nodded sadly, got off of her, and proceeded to hop off of the bed.

"I didn't say you needed to leave."

"Ya didn't have to." The heartbreak could be heard in his voice.

Gamora had no idea he had fallen for her this hard. She got off the bed and pulled Rocket into a tight hug. "I am not letting you mope."

"If being in love is expensive, why don't you steal it?" He asked.

"What?" The expression baffled her.

"You said you can't afford bein' in love. I'll even foot the bill most-well some of the time. You deserve ta be happy, we all do, no matter the cost."

A smile crossed Gamora's face as she ruffled his fur playfully. "Perhaps you are correct." She kissed Rocket on the cheek.


The following morning, Rocket was somewhere between blissful and hungover, even less sure of where Gamora and he stood with each other. They smiled at each other upon waking, and went to the galley together to get breakfast.

Drax was cooking as usual, the others were already at the table. The tattooed mountain put the food from the pan onto plates and sat them down, taking his seat as well.

Quill wore a devious grin. "Rocket and Gamora, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"Groot, why do you let them sit on you for this?" Drax asked.

"I am Groot," the tree stated flatly, his face unamused.

"But this is splendid!" Drax continued. "There shall be much rejoicing. When will the nuptials commence?"

Rocket nearly spat out his drink. "WHAT."

"Getting cold feet?" Gamora grinned in a terrifying way.

"You should put on your slippers." Drax advised.

"My feet ain't cold!" Rocket yelled. "It's a saying where you wanted to do somethin' but you aren't sure you wanna do it anymore. I just don't get how we went from a first date to talking right to marriage."

"Among my people, lovers are kept secret prior to marriage," Drax explained. "Only close friends have the privilege of such knowledge. So a date, an outing where the lovers are seen in public, is a grand romantic gesture tantamount to proposal. Is this not how you do things? I know friend Quill does things differently, but he is a philanderer."

"Uh, no." Quill clarified. "Usually going on a date is the first thing most people do in a relationship, to see if they even fit together as a couple. And if they do they'll go on many more dates. I just like to skip to the good part. And avoid the relationship part altogether."

"I see my blunder," admitted the Destroyer.

"Hey Gammy, ya wanna make Quill really uncomfortable?" Rocket asked with a toothy grin.

She glanced around the room. "I'm listening."

Rocket climbed onto her lap and kissed her. His snout made it awkward, but they quickly found a comfortable angle and she leaned into him.

"I am Groot!" cheered the tree.

Peter sighed. "Get a room!"