Sharing secrets

I'm woken up from my sleep by a light going on outside my room. This makes me mad for three reasons. I don't like being woken up in the middle of the night, also I was in the middle of the first good dream I had, had in nearly a mouth. Last but not least, it could have woken baby Groot. Nobody wakes up my baby Groot. Growling I get up, open my door and stick my head out of my room to find the light in the corridor outside is on. Irritability I click it off and head back to bed only for the light to go back on less than a minute later. Furiously I storm out of my room and turn it off for a second time. I settle down in bed again and just close my eyes when, blam , the light's on again.

"That's it," I snarl, going to my door and tearing it open.

"Right you bunch of idiots," I yell at the top of my lungs, "I've had enough of this. I'm trying to get some shut-eye after a long day so if I find this light on again I'll tare the dame thing out of the wall, got it!"

With that I slam the door and return to bed. The light stays off.

Life continues as normal the next day. I don't bring up the light incident and neither does anyone else. I begin to think that the whole thing was just some random craziness until the same things happens tonight. I start to drift off and then that bl****** light goes on again. I jump out of bed and go and turn the light off. I'm about to climb back into bed when I decide to wait. I want to catch whoever keeps turning the s*** light on. I want to catch them and give them a piece of my mind. I don't have long to wait. I hear someone come into the corridor before I rip my door open and grab hold of the dork's knee. A voice yells out in alarm and the light goes on to reveal Peter.

"Quill!" I yell, "What in the name of hell are you doing?"

Peter can tell I'm angry with him as that's the only time I call him by his last name.

"Dame it Rocket you nearly gave me a heart-attack." He snaps back.

"I'll give you a lot more then that if you keep switching that light on," I warn him.

"Well what the hell is that to you?" Quill demands.

"I'm trying to get some sleep. Did you ever think it might be inconvenient for me if that light's on all night?"

"You ever thought I might not want to be bumping into things all night?"

"There's nothing to bump into out here," I say throwing my arms up. "And if that's the case then why do you keep coming back to turn it on again?"

"I err..." Quill faltered.

"Knew it," I snarl then add, "So give me the real reason."

"No."

"Now," I snap.

"Forget it," He snaps back and turns his back on me, storming off to his room and slamming the door.

I turn the light off and go back to bad as well but as I do so I make up my mind that one way or another I'm going to get the truth from Quill.

I get this chance the very next night. After lying in bed for an hour or so unable to sleep I mutter to myself, "Rocket it's time to go play hell with Dork-Lord."

Peter's door is slightly and I there's a dim light on inside. I enter the room and see that the light is coming from a small lamp by Peter's bed. I also see that Peter is fast asleep and has his walkman around his neck.

I hop onto the bed and lean in close to Peter until my face is inches from his before I blow hot breath onto his nose. Peter slowly opens his eyes and yells.

"Rocket what the hell are you doing?"

"I asked you a question the other night. I'm still waiting for an answer so spill it."

"Get out of my room," Peter says and pushes me back a little.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what was up with you and that *****ing light. I mean the way you act someone would think you were afraid of the dame dark."

Peter doesn't reply and just looks away.

"Oh," I say. "You mean you really are afraid of the dark."

"Yes," Peter snaps, "I'm afraid of the dark. Go on, go ahead and laugh."

"Laugh, why should I laugh?"

"Because it's hilarious isn't it, a grown man like me being afraid of the dark? You'd have thought I'd have got over it by now. That I could just ignore the feelings and the thoughts about my mother and how much I miss her. It's always in the darkness that I see her."

In an intend everything clicks and I feel a slight pang of guilt as I recall how much I've yelled at Peter over the last few days. Then I recall all the horrible thoughts I've had about him and I think I feel a tiny bit of shame.

"And you've been keeping this secret from everyone because you're afraid that if you tell them they'll laugh in your face?" I ask softly.

Peter nods and looks down miserably.

"I'm sorry," I tell him, really meaning it.

"For what?"

"For yelling at you and for being too thick to put two and two together. I know what it's like to be scared of being laughed at and I know what it's like to keep secrets from the rest of the universe."

"Like what?" Peter asks, clearly interested.

"That's none of your business," I reply.

"Oh come on Rocket I've just told you a deep secret it's only fair you tell me one. I promise I won't laugh or tell the others."

I shift a little and say. "I got your word on that?"

"Absolutely."

It's my turn to let out a sigh now. I guess Peter is right it is only fair I tell him something and it would be a good way to make it up to him for being such a jerk.

"Well...I have kept this one thing secret from the rest of the galaxy," I begin. "See there's something I've had ever since I was little and I've never let it go...but I've never talked about it."

"Something you've held on to all your life?"

"Something I have and something I am" I say, hating every moment of this.

Peter leans in close and whispers, "What do you have? What are you?"

"A...a virgin." I mutter not out of shame of my secret but because I stink at this whole talking deep with others thing.

At first Peter doesn't react but at last he just stares at me in surprise and say, "What?"

"You heard me," I say quietly. I knew this was how things would turn out. I knew if ever I told someone about this they would think I was a little weirdo.

"Well I never thought..." Peter begins then says, "Why?"

"Why what?" I ask a bit confused.

"Why did you choose to stay a virgin? Not that you shouldn't but most people...well... "

I groan. "Do I really have to answer?"

"Yes."

"Well it's like this Star-Lord. First of all I don't I really understand the appeal of sex."

"And," Peter asks, knowing there's more.

I take a deep breath before I spill my heart and soul out to the guy I've only just begun to know.

"All my life people have taken things away from me," I begin. "My future, my pride, part of my sanity, hell even my own body isn't really mine. I've been stripped of nearly everything that I could once have called my own. But there's just this one thing that nobody has been able to take from me. My virginity is about the only thing I've always had and the only thing I can think of right now that I can keep for as long as I want. It's all my own and I'm going to keep it a while longer."

At the end of my rambling Peter just nods and says, "Good reasons."

"Thanks," I reply with a grin then let out a huge yawn before adding, "I'd best get back to bed. I'm glad we had this chance to share a secret or two it means that maybe one day I might be able to just about put up with you."

Peter chuckles, "Maybe someday I'll be able to put up with you too."