A/N: I know it's been awhile, but I've been unsure about what to write. The first two topics were kind of heavy. I'm gonna continue with that because both of them have so much baggage that writing about their relationship includes a lot of emotional, intense chapters. But I want to have a couple chapters that are more simple, like typical developing relationship stuff. I hope you guys enjoy!

Peter walked out of his bunk and towards the bridge. He had just woken up from a nap, and he was going to check on the autopilot system. He assumed that Rocket had checked up on it, but it was getting late. He wouldn't be surprised if Rocket had gone to get Groot ready for bed. It was his turn to do that tonight, not that Rocket ever protested.

He was passing the last couple bunks, Mantis and Gamora's, when he heard her call out.

"Mantis?" Gamora called from within her bunk. The door was wide open, but he couldn't see her. He figured she was in her bathroom.

"No, it's me." Peter called back, leaning against the doorframe to her bunk.

"Oh!" She yelled, "Can you come in here? I need you."

He tilted his head, but didn't ask further before walking into her room, knocking on her bathroom door to make sure she meant he needed to come in. Gamora doesn't really let people in her bunk, let alone her bathroom.

"Come in!" She sounded kind of frantic.

He suddenly got nervous, did something happen?

He pushed open the door quickly, "Are you alright?" he asked nervously as he barged in her bathroom.

He couldn't help but gape at her. Her hair was slick and covered in dark purple colored cream, as was her face, hands, and parts of the walls and counter around her. She was wearing a white tank top, which was also partially purple.

"What's going on?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips. He wanted to laugh at the sight of her. Gamora always looked flawlessly gorgeous and tough, and now it amazes him that she still looked adorable despite all the mess.

She rolled her eyes at him, attempting to give him a hard, confident stare. She opened her mouth to speak, but she looked down at her hands and how purple and slimy they were. She just looked up at him and began to laugh.

He started to laugh with her. For what felt like several minutes, they were just staring at each other, laughing about their current situation.

After another moment, she took a deep breath, "It's winter, I want to redye my hair."

He was about to ask how she knew it was winter. They don't permanently stay on one planet, and he wasn't' exactly sure what he was referring to. But looking back, he's noticed the changes in the highlights in her hair throughout each year. It will change from darker purples to softer magentas. He wondered if she was following a calendar from her home world.

He nodded at her, smirking back. "Did you get a little excited with the dye?"

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile was playing on her lips. "Yeah, it got away from me a little bit. Can you turn on the water and hand me a towel?" She asked, referencing to the sink beside him.

He nodded quickly, grabbing the towel and turning on the water at her sink. As he was trying to use part of it to wipe off her counter, he heard her mumble something under her breath.

He turned back to her, seeing that she had gotten even more hair dye on her cheeks.

He laughed a little bit, "Hang on, Baby," he said as he ran part of the towel under the warm water.

As their relationship had progressed, she had began allowing him to call her small, affectionate pet names. However, she only accepted his calling her baby in private.

She took a couple steps towards him, trying to grab the towel. "Hey, hey," he started. "Your hands are all gross, you'll ruin a perfectly good towel. Let me?"

She nodded, leaning into him a little bit so he could get a better look. He leaned forward as well, tilting her face into the light a little so he could wipe the dye off before it dries and sticks to her cheeks. They were standing really close, closer than normal. They had danced together, sure, but they seldom stood as close together as they were now, and Peter prayed she didn't notice his hitched breathing. He felt nervous, but in a really good way. He gently rubbed off the dye, using his other thumb to rub her clean skin softly. Being this close felt intimate to him, and he loved her skin up close. It was so beautiful, so smooth but also so tough.

He stopped rubbing once it was clean, but didn't move away, "All done."

Her breathing was deeper as well, she didn't move either. "Thanks," she breathed.

He nodded, still stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Of course, Mora."

She smiled at him, leaning forward even more, closing her eyes and gently pressing her lips to his. He close his eyes quickly, kissing her back slowly.

She pulled away after a long moment, "I uh, I need to wash the dye out."

He nodded, a little dumbfounded. "Yeah, yeah cool." He said, rubbing his hand down his face, embarrassed by his response.

They had only kissed once before this, and it was when they had argued about him leaving the team after Ego, a couple months ago. He hadn't brought it up since because he didn't want to push Gamora. They had never really defined what they were, if anything at all.

"Do you want me to go?" He asked as he watched her bend down, turning on her tub's facet.

"You don't have to." She said simply, barely turning her head. "You can see how it turns out, if you'd like."

Peter wasn't really a fan of watching anyone get their hair done, but he had never seen Gamora so relaxed and content. Also, she had always had beautiful hair, and he didn't know much about the importance of hair in her culture, if there was at all. All he knew was, if it mattered to Gamora, he wanted to make sure she knew it mattered to him too.

She leaned her torso over the edge of the tub, using her hands to wash the dye out as the water poured out onto her hair, through her hair. While she was washing out the dye, he used the time to clean off her counter and sink. She had clearly tried to grab stuff from various areas in the bathroom with the dye still freshly covering her hands. Once he was done, he tossed the now dirty towel into a basket beside the bathroom door in the bunk, hopping up and sitting on her bathroom counter. He saw her personal walkman sitting on the other side of him, still plugged into the speakers.

He was curious to see what she had been listening to before he'd arrived to help. He turned up the volume slightly, hitting play.

"Her hair reminds me of the safest place, where as a child I'd hide…"

He smiled, but was a little surprised. He wasn't a big rock fan, but he knew Guns & Roses when he heard it. He thought about where she would've heard this stuff, it wasn't his normal taste, but the idea of her liking Terran music enough to go out and find her own tastes made him really happy. It was like he had introduced her to something that became so important to her, parts of it have become her own, almost sacred, experience. He turned it up a little bit when he noticed that he foot was gently tapping on her bath mat to the beat of the song.

He tapped his fingers on her counter to the tape as well, patiently waiting for her to finish up. The water turned off abruptly once she was done. She grabbed a towel from the edge of the tub, rubbing her hair gently as she stood up, flashing a small smile to Peter once she found his eyes. She walked passed him to get to her bunk's area.

"I didn't know you were a Guns & Roses fan," He stated, not leaving his seat since she closed the door a little, probably to change her clothes.

"Uh, just that one song really. Or that's all I know of them at least." She called back, her response a little muffled, like she was pulling a shirt over her head.

She pulled the door open once she finished. He smiled at her shirt selection. It was a little chilly on the ship, and she was wearing an old, navy sweater of his. The threading was coming loose, and he was going to throw it out until Gamora called him wasteful and took it to her room herself.

Sometimes he wondered if she actually meant that, or if she simply wanted his sweater. Since moving onto the Milano with the rest of the Guardians, Gamora has obtained ownership of plenty of his old shirts and sweaters. Usually when he's done with them, being too small or too worn.

"Nice sweater," he commented, the smile on his face definitely seeping into his tones. The rest of her body was covered due to her choice in black leggings instead of her usual sleep shorts. Her feet were exposed though, and he noticed the dark purple color she had added to her hair was also painted onto her toe nails.

She smiled at him, nodding in response as she gave her bathroom a thoughtful gaze.

"I'm trying to decide if I should blowdry my hair," She wondered aloud. "It is getting late, so there is no logical point to dry and curl it right now." She tapped her finger to her lips slowly, thoughtfully. "Though, I want to see how this came out."

He nodded, "Do you like braids?"

"Yeah, I don't do them as much as I used to, but they're nice."

He pushed himself down from her counter, "My mom taught me how when I was a kid, I could do it if you want."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you think you remember how?"

He raised and lowered one shoulder, "More or less, but there's only one way to find out."

She rolled her eyes, but a smirk was threatening to give away her true feelings. "There's a hair brush with some bands wrapped around the handle in my drawer." She said, turning and walking back into her room.

He pulled it out quickly, carrying the brush and her small walkman setup into her room behind her.

She sat down on her bed, taking the walkman and speaker from her as he followed her. He climbed in bed behind her, resting his back against the wall where she normally laid her head. He made sure his shoes were off before putting his feet on her blankets, spreading his legs wide enough that she could scoot backwards, sitting close enough to them that they would both be comfortable, but he could still braid her hair.

After several moments of comfortable silence, he noticed that she had replayed Sweet Child of Mine on the tape.

"Why do you like this song so much?" He asked as he brushed her hair, making sure there were no tangles that would make their way into her braid later on.

She shrugged slightly, "I dunno, actually. It kind of reminds me of my mom, I think."

"You think?" He asked, unsure of why she might not remember.

"I was taken," with the unspoken "she was murdered by my crazy adopted father," deep within the subtext, "-way before I could really develop memories besides them teaching me simple tasks. I was a small child." He knew she was explaining, but her body had relaxed even more, like she was reminiscing on her life with her family, her life as a small, simple child with a safe, simple life. He understood that particular nostalgic feeling for sure.

"She had a really comforting presence, I remember always feeling safe everytime I looked into her eyes." She sighed, but it seemed bittersweet. She was happy to remember these moments, but wished she had had more time. "She also had the most stunning hair. It was always perfectly shaped and curled, but still so soft."

Peter didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling, even if it was a small one. "I remember she taught me how to use leaves from the Katani trees at the edge of the fields she worked in to curl my hair too. She promised to buy me a styling tool when I was old enough." The last sentence faded off a little bit.

Peter had to stop himself from stiffening, he knew what it was like to lose parents, but when his mother realized she probably wasn't going to get any better, she had done her best to make sure he was prepared for the loss. Gamora's family was ripped from her unexpectedly when she was way younger than Peter. He could never understand that kind of pain that was created by the violence and trauma of their deaths.

"Do you have one now?" He asked, partly trying to change the subject slightly to something that would make her happier, and partly because he was just curious. She never really shared any stories.

"Yeah, Drax actually gave me the one his daughter used on his home world." She said, her voice lighter.

"Oh, that's really nice of him." Peter responded, a little bit shocked. Drax and Gamora were definitely the slowest to start in terms of friendship or any kind of trusting relationship.

At first, Drax blamed Gamora completely for the death of his family, and Gamora would feel guilty over the pain she caused when she worked for Thanos, causing her to avoid Drax out of her idea of respect and remorse. Peter knew as time went on, Drax warmed up to her, and Gamora to him as well.

"Yeah, I was honestly surprised, but Drax said they had visited my homeworld when she was very young and she had loved the women's hair. He got her styling tools from my planet on their visit apparently so she could look like the women in my culture." Gamora sounded proud of the influence her people's hair carried throughout other planets and other citizens' cultures.

"Was hair a big part of the culture on your home?" He asked, wanting to know even more about her past.

She nodded, "Yes, all the women had to change the color ever winter and summer solstice. In the summer, it needed to be brighter and in the winter, darker." She answered.

He nodded as well, working hard to braid her thick locks. He could already tell her hair was drying, and the dye looked really well done.

"Well," he started, "I won't be able to see the rest of this until tomorrow, but from the little bit that's dried already, I think you did your people justice, Mora."

She turned slowly to him then, "Really?" There was a smile creeping across her features, and her eyes looked a little watery.

He nodded, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead, "Yeah, they'd be proud of you for carrying on the tradition. I love that you do it still."

"I did it whenever I could when Thanos was raising me too." She said, still facing him, but a far off look in her eye, "He didn't know what it meant, and I doubt he ever actually noticed the changes. I could only do it whenever I could steal dye from other planets, and the dye jobs had to be quick, the color never lasted long, and it was always more muted than it should've been." She took a deep breath, "But it was my way of remembering who I really was, even when it felt like he had changed me completely."

All he could do was nod for a moment, taking in her words. "I like that," he said after several seconds, "I like that you used this as a way to stay connected to your roots."

She smiled at him then, seeming to snap out of her hazy entranced state. She gets that way whenever someone reminds her of Thanos, which was more often than she'd admit. "Yeah, me too." She turned back then, "I'm excited for this braid. I want to see if the skills live up to your words," she challenged playfully.

"Oh," he started, "If it comes from me, it'll be the best style in the galaxy."

She laughed then, and they went back to a comfortable silence.

He announced to her once he had finished, laying her brush on her nightstand and stretching. "I hope you'll like it, but it'll probably looked disheveled in the morning." He said, moving to get up and let her go to bed. He hadn't noticed before, but he had been with her for several hours, and he didn't want to keep her from sleeping.

She turned to him, "Thank you," she said with a grin.

"Of course, baby." He smiled as he started to slip on his shoes.

She gave him a funny look after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" He asked as he laced up one shoe.

"Do you," she started, looking down as if she was suddenly shy. "Do you want to stay? In here with me, I mean. Since you said you wanna see how it'll turn out tomorrow?"

He bit his bottom lip then, not wanting to smile so wide or chuckle at her request. She looked so awkward and a little shy when she asked, it made his heart skip a beat or two in his chest. He'd never seen her this way, like she was nervous about asking someone to be near her, but he liked that he made her feel like she wanted more of him. More of his time, at least.

Though he knew by her raised eyebrow that he had taken a few seconds too long to respond, he quickly answered. "Yes, sure." He knew he sounded too eager, but there was nothing left to do but mentally kick himself. This was the first time he'd ever slept in her bunk with her, and he was both super nervous, but also incredibly happy. Gamora never let anyone see her in vulnerable states, and sleeping was the most vulnerable of all.

She had gotten up to brush her teeth and admire his handy work in the bathroom, and Peter had taken his shoes off once more, as well as removing his jeans so he could be comfortable in boxers like he normally sleeps.

"The braid looks nice," she said as she walked out, smiling at him when she noticed that he had made himself more comfortable.

He nodded, "I told you, I'm good. I definitely could have been a hair stylist if I wasn't abducted by aliens and all when I was a kid."

She laughed softly at his comment, walking towards him and her bunk to pull back the blankets. He stood up then, helping her to get ready for bed.

He waited for her to climb in and make herself comfortable. He didn't know how she slept and didn't want to take up her personal space she used to sleep, like her side of the bed and her pillow.

He climbed in once she was finished moving, trying to keep a comfortable distance as he did so. What he wanted most was to hold her in his arms while they slept, but this was the first time they were doing something like this, and he didn't want it to seem too much too fast with her. Besides the fact that they were all a team and needed to work together despite what happened between them, he also really loved her, and wanted to make sure she was happy the entire time.

She rolled over to face him once he was settled in, moving towards him slightly. "Are you sure you're okay to sleep here with me?" She asked after a moment of just looking over his face, noticing his features growing tired.

"Yeah," he yawned, but willed himself not to sleep just yet. He wanted to enjoy this time with her as much as he could. "Are you sure you want me to?"

She nodded, this time, letting her smile take over her features. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Cool, cool." He said, rolling his eyes at himself for trying to sound casual.

She ended up falling asleep before he did, but not without moving even closer to him while they talked a little bit more about her culture as well as what he remembered of the Terran culture. It was funny about some of the things that were similar, and he enjoyed the laughs he got from her when he described cartoons to her.

For awhile, he just watched her sleep, the even breaths she took made him relax even more. As sleep overtook him finally, he tucked a couple of stray hairs behind her ear, noting that the darker purple color he had helped her with had finally dried, and it looked beautiful. She stirred a little bit when he moved her hair, opening her eyes to see Peter, still watching her as his eyes drooped slowly.

She smiled, leaning into him more as he lazily lifted his arm, draping it over her waist as she scooted into him, their bodies meshing comfortably together beneath her blankets.

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and "Goodnight, Peter." was the last thing he heard before the best sleep of his life overtook him.