Firstly, you all have my most sincere apologies about the late hour of this story. If you have looked at my other stories, you'll notice (at the time of this writing) this one and Stuck on You are the only ones that are obvious romance. The others can be seen as pre-romance or friendship. You see, I don't really believe in the love, despite the fact that I somewhat write it. The fact that you all say I write good romance makes it so ironic it would be funny if it was not so sad. I'll level with you all, writing romance for me is actually more than a little painful. Getting reminders of the thing you can never have tends to do that. Now that should end the depressing author note.
Alright, so this is the M rated chapter, but this is the censored version. First a question, should I upgrade this story to M now? If I can make myself do it I will write an uncensored chapter (it will have an extra scene this one won't) but I don't know if I'll be able to. If I do the uncensored chapter should I upgrade the entire story to M or just leave a big warning at the top of that chapter since all the M content will be on a single chapter?
I don't know exactly what to do since I never write M rated chapters. I really don't want to get banned because I made an accidental mistake.
Enjoy.
"Come to Nix Alba he says. Nice change of scenery he says. What a load of bullsh..." Peter's words are immediately cut off by his tripping over a root hidden in the snow and falling face first into a snow drift.
Gamora's first instinct was to pick her lover up by the scruff of his collar. The mental image of holding him up like a small furry animal, all wet and sputtering, was a combination of hilarious and adorable all rolled into one.
The Zehoberi woman figured she could lift him up, or laugh at him. Naturally she chose the latter.
When Peter lifted his head from the snow he was instantly greeted to the sight of Gamora doubled over with laughter.
All at his expense.
The former outlaws eyes narrowed sharply as he regarded his struggling for breath Gamora.
Gamora would later think he must have hit his head on a rock in the fall. Otherwise there was no way he would have considered his next action a rational one. Then again this was Peter, the terran did not always do rational.
Finally managing to get some breath in her lungs, Gamora looked up just in time to see Peter moving as if about to start sprinting toward her.
Having anticipated the sure to follow tackle, Gamora dropped into a combat stance to intercept him. Peter did not do what she expected though.
Instead of running at her Peter swiped his arm across the snowy ground. Gamora looked at him in confusion as he formed the snow in his hands into a ball like shape.
Gamora opened her mouth to ask what he was doing when she was struck in the face by said ball of snow. The first thing she felt was the sting of the hit, the second was the taste of the frozen water in her still opened mouth. Then the third thing she felt was a sudden urge for vengeance.
Peter seemed to realize this too when his eyes went wide with fear.
Gamora just smiled sweetly, the kind of smile she knew Peter feared because it promised both deth, bodily harm, and removal of limbs. Not necessarily in that order.
Before she even had the chance to move Peter pelted her again with a second wad of snow before turning around and running. Gamora did not even realize he was in flight until she managed to swipe the snow off her face.
When she did see his retreating form she automatically gave chase.
Normally Gamora would be able to catch up to him fairly easily but somehow the terran was able to stay ahead of her. He must have been more accustomed to moving through snow or something. Either that or fear for his life spurred him on further.
Then came the balls of snow. Her crazy terran was somehow able to both stay ahead of her, he could never lose her though, and continue to fling back the occasional attack. These however were nothing more than distractions, she could easily sidestep or outright dodge them when she saw them coming. That did not seem to deter Peter though.
He always was a stubborn one.
Deciding to take a different approach she ceased her chase. Instead of trying to catch him she waited until he again had his back turned toward her then she ducked behind a nearby large tree.
Just as she expected Peter stopped running and turned back. Also as she expected Peter slowly began walking back in the direction he came.
"Gamora?" Peter called out slowly and cautiously.
Smart, he knew an ambush lie in wait for him. He did not know where it was though. This would prove to be his undoing.
When he began to approach her tree, Gamora slowly moved around the truck keeping it between her and Peter.
With her assassin trained dexterity, Gamora scaled the tree with the swiftness of a speeding bullet. Gamora did not make a single sound, neither when she climbed nor when Peter was directly under her.
The entire forest was eerily quiet.
To say Peter was a bit terrified may be a bit of an understatement.
Okay, it was a huge understatement.
Perhaps hitting Gamora with a snowball had not been the wisest course of action but come on, she was totally asking for it laughing at him like that!
Wait a second... did she even know what a snowball was? Oh great, she probably thought he was trying to attack her.
Course either way he was now slowly moving through the woods with a potentially angry girlfriend/assassin lurking in wait for him. One whom was very capable of both killing him with her bare hands and hiding in plain sight in a snow covered forest.
Yeah... he was more screwed than that time he tried to reclaim his walkman while handcuffed.
She even had green skin for crying out loud! He should be able to see her plain as...
Peter's thoughts were instantly interrupted when one hundred and fifty plus pounds of Zehoberi assassin landed directly on top of him from above.
For the second time that day Peter found himself falling face down into the snow covered ground.
Gamora was pinning him to the snowy dirt laughing just as hard as when he tripped earlier.
Two can play at that game.
Before Gamora had a chance to react Peter had shoved himself up and threw his assassin girlfriend off balance. She made a soft noise in surprise as Peter not only shoved her off him but reversed their positions. Now he was pinning her down.
This lasted the whole five seconds it took for Gamora to figure out what happened. The moment she did, Gamora returned the favor by flipping him right back.
That sent both Gamora and Peter into an all out battle for who could pin the other permanently to the ground.
Back when the pair had first met on Xandar there had been a similar wrestling match for control of the orb. Peter had been surprisingly able to hold his own against the cybernetically augmented assassin.
This time Gamora was holding a lot back so that they would be on more even footing. Otherwise she would kick the crap out of him before long.
Peter had no idea how long they wrestled like that in the snow. Both trying to keep the other pinned down but each victory was only temporary.
After a while they both gave up trying to gain a victory and called it a draw.
Moving over to a nearby tree, Peter leaned with his back against it. Gamora moved in front of him and settled with her back to his chest leaning against him. Peter wrapped his arms loosely around her middle.
The fact that they were sitting like this in a snowy forest spoke volumes to the progress he and Gamora had made. There was a time when she would not be this close to anyone. Now she was actually cuddling, and seemed too comfortable to move. The thought brought a smile to Peter's face.
Peter planted a soft kiss to the top of her head.
In all honesty he was surprised with himself as well. He never would have thought he would find a girl to settle with. It was all one night stands and pickups for his entire adult life. Now he had a beautiful woman to actually call his own. If someone had told him his life would be like this a couple years ago he would have laughed in their face.
The terran subconsciously pulled the Zehoberi woman closer.
"We really should be heading back," Gamora grumbled quietly, she did not move an inch.
Peter chuckled quietly. "What? Not comfortable?"
Gamora tilted her head all the way back to look at him upside down. She had been a split second from opening her mouth for some retort but she never got the chance.
Peter crashed his lips to hers. Instead of trying to pull away, Gamora snaked her arm around to the back of his head and tangled her fingers in his hair. Gripping his hair softly, she pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.
They held it until they absolutely had to part for air. Peter smiled as he gulped in lungful of oxygen. While Gamora was doing the same, Peter could not resist making a certain quip. "Wow, did I take your breath away?"
Gamora giggled, actually giggled, as she smiled. "You're one to talk Star-Lord."
Peter laughed as he hugged her closer.
"As enjoyable as out outing has been, we really should be returning back to town." Gamora spoke as she looked towards the clouds. They were starting to gather and turn gray.
The planet Nix Alba was infamous for its sudden and intense blizzards. They always hit fast and hard but never lasted more than a few hours. If the sky was any indication one was already inbound. Fortunately they were not that far away from town.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Peter muttered as he stood up, pulling Gamora to her feet and not letting go of her hand. Gamora laced her fingers with his and pulled him along back toward town.
Apparently the words 'sudden' and 'intense' were not quite the best words to describe the storms of Nix Alba. The pair had been only about halfway back when the environment went from gray, cloudy, looking like it could storm in a few hours, to black and snowing so hard you could not see foot in front of you.
To make matters worse, Peter and Gamora had gotten turned around when the snow started to pick up so they had no clue which way led back to town.
Gamora was cursing herself for being so careless. They should have gone back before it got anything like this. She normally would have but Peter always had that effect that made her forget life and the universe to focus on the two of them. She would never admit it out loud but she loved every second of it.
"Hey! I think I see something up ahead." Peter called out to her over the sound of the blizzard. The two had an arm wrapped around the other to make sure they did not get separated so Peter was pointing ahead with his other hand.
Gamora followed the appendage to see what he was pointing toward. As they got closer it looked to be the silhouette of a cabin or something like that. There was no lights so if the building had power it was out. However it was shelter out of the blizzard and that would be enough to survive until the blizzard passed.
Once they got close, Gamora saw that it was indeed a cabin. Good thing they found it, the cold was starting to become a cabin. They were dressed warmly but the problem with cold was that it still seeped in over time.
Moving up to the front of the cabin, Peter and Gamora ducked into the front overhang so they were out of the direct snowfall.
They removed their arms from each other but instead held a grip on the others hand.
Peter prodded the door with his foot, the old wood creaking open.
Peter gave Gamora a look and motioned to the door. The green-skinned woman nodded and drew her blade from beneath her coat. Peter did the same with his gun. Gamora went in first, since she carried the melee close weapon, with Peter right behind her.
The chances of someone or something being inside were fairly slim, but neither terran nor Zehoberi wanted to take that chance.
Once inside, Gamora got a good look at the place. It was small, the entire cabin was a single room. Across from the door they entered was a fireplace, between them was a table. Off to the side was a tiny kitchen area. There was no discernable bed or couch. The cabin must not have been meant for overnight stays.
Either way it would be perfect for what they needed.
Once the room was secured, Peter instantly was moving over to the fireplace. Gamora closed the door they came in from and watched him. The terran piled wood into the fireplace and looked around the entire cabin for something. After a minute or two he apparently found it because he went back to the fireplace with a quiet "ah ha".
Gamora continued to watch him curiously. Where he learned to start a fire she did not know. It was not a skill used by many, especially the ravagers.
"When I was little, before she got sick, I went camping a few times with my mom." Peter spoke softly while he worked on the fire.
"Oh?" Gamora did not know what else to say. He rarely spoke of his mother. Gamora knew he wanted to but she understood it was a very sensitive subject. If she asked he would tell her everything but it would be painful, that was why she resolved to wait and let him open up to her about it.
The Zehoberi woman moved over to sit on the floor beside Peter. It was right then that she noticed the large rug in front of the fireplace. It was quite soft to the touch, certainly better than the cold floorboards.
"Yup, never thought I'd need to know how to build a fire when I left but here we are." Peter chucked softly.
Peter was doing very good at hiding the emotional pain that came with revealing a little more of his mother to her. Gamora was able to see right through it though.
Scooting closer, Gamora draped an arm over his shoulders. The fire was already made so the duo were sitting in front of the dancing flames to take in some of the warmth.
Gamora could feel the fire warming her up but she had a different idea in mind instead. She wrapped both her arms around Peter to take in some of his warmth.
Peter laughed quietly as he wrapped his own arm around her. "Feeling cuddly?" He spoke with an arched eyebrow.
"I blame you for being warm." Gamora replied.
That brought another musical laugh from Peter. "Yeah, but I could say the same for you." Next thing Gamora knew, Peter had both his arms around her as well. Gamora was actually a little surprised it took him as long as it did. Because of her cybernetics, her body ran hotter than normal. She had more body heat to give than he ever could. Which also meant that her reason for using Peter for warmth was a complete excuse, she just wanted to be closer to him.
The smug terran probably knew it too but was not calling her out on it.
Outside the cabin the storm continued to rage. It showed no signs of even slowing down so they were going to be stuck here for a while. A few hours at least, the worst storms rarely lasted more than four hours.
Regardless, they were warm and had each other. Gamora was more than pleased with the outcome.
Before long the pair switched positions. They sat on the furred carpet, Peter with his legs crossed facing the fire, and Gamora sitting in front of him leaning back against his chest much like they did just before they began the trek back to town. Peter's arms were once again wrapped around her middle, his chin resting on her shoulder.
This position meant that Gamora got most of the fire's warmth but Peter seemed to prefer Gamora's body heat in its place. The thought brought a smile to the woman's lips. She held no objections.
All of a sudden Peter planted a soft kiss to the side of her neck, but he did not remove his lips and instead just held them there on the skin of her neck. His lips were warm and soft on her flesh.
Gamora bit down on her lip to stop herself from making any noise. Due to her cybernetics all of her senses were heightened. This included her sense of touch, the sensation of a single kiss like the one he was doing now was increased threefold.
Perhaps it was the relaxed setting, or maybe it was the comfortable position, but whatever caused it Gamora was not sure. Either way, Gamora slowly tilted her head to the side exposing more of her neck to Peter. The man took the invitation for what it was and trailed soft kisses along her neck.
Gamora closed her eyes and basked in the electric like sensations. It was not the first time that Peter had done something like this to her. However it was always simple touches like hugs and holding hands, occasional kisses on the head, cheek, or hand. Peter had never kissed her neck though, and Gamora had never really encouraged further kisses.
Out of nowhere, Peter nipped softly at her neck. This time Gamora could not stop the sharp gasp that passed her lips.
Peter instantly stopped what he was doing and whispered and apology in her ear.
"Peter..." Gamora's voice was low. "If you want to... you can keep going." Gamora's cheeks were flushed, a warmth was spreading through her body as she spoke. She wanted him to continue.
Peter kissed her neck again. "You sure?"
Gamora's only response was a nod with a whisper of "please do".
It seemed that was enough for Peter. Gamora immediately felt his lips at her neck again.
She was leaning back against him further when she felt him once again plant a very soft bite on her neck. Her gasp this time was much more muffled but Peter heard it nonetheless. Instead of stopping this time, he kissed the exact spot he had just bit.
All of these sensations were completely new to Gamora. She found herself craving more as her body grew warmer and warmer. It was fortunate the duo had removed their coats, Gamora felt like she was already going to burst into flames even without it.
Feeling movement from in front of her, Gamora looked down to see Peter's arms were no longer wrapped around her waist. Instead his hands had moved so that they were both flat against her stomach, the material of her shirt the only thing separating their skin from direct contact.
As Peter continued to lavish her neck with kisses and soft bites, Gamora noticed Peter's hands never once moved at all from where they were on her stomach.
It took a moment for it to click but soon Gamora understood. Peter was taking things slow, something they had been doing all their relationship. Peter wanted her, but he was not going to make a single extra move until she gave the signal she wanted him to. She had literally told him she wanted him to keep doing what he was doing to her neck but his hands would not move higher or lower to more intimate places until she said he could.
Peter had been with many women before her, so he knew exactly what he was doing and what he wanted. Gamora knew this as well but the importance he was placing on her approval made Gamora's heart swell with affection for this terran.
Gamora also realized something else. Touching was one thing, but as long as his hands stayed outside her clothes they would only proceed to a certain point. Somehow, Gamora knew that if she allowed his hands to go beneath then they would go much farther than simple touching. Her clothes were like a unbreakable lock to Peter, one that only Gamora could unlock for him.
To at least partially make up for all the physical affection he was showing her, Gamora slowly ran her fingers along the skin of his hands.
Gamora thought long and hard about all of what they were doing. They had been together for many months but Gamora had zero relationship experience outside of Peter so she had nothing from the past to base her decision on. Instead she had to go with what simply felt right.
Taking a deep breath, Gamora made her decision.
Taking hold of both of the terran's hands, Gamora slowly slipped them beneath her shirt. She instantly felt the warmth against the bare flesh of her stomach. The contact almost brought a moan to Gamora's lips.
"Gamora?" Peter questioned softly as he pressed both hands to her bare skin.
Gamora tilted her head to the side and once more snaked her hand around to the back of his head and brought his lips down to hers.
Gamora whispered softly on his lips. "Go ahead."
The moment the words were passed her lips, Peter's hands slowly moved further under her shirt and higher up her body.
Gamora sucked in heavy breaths as she pressed her bare body tighter to Peter's. He responded by wrapping his arms tightly around her. Despite the low temperature outside, Gamora's body was burning.
The entire experience was like nothing Gamora had ever felt in her entire life. She almost wished she had not waited this long to sleep together. They could have been doing that this entire time... but in truth she was happy they had taken their time. It made the act more intimate and meaningful instead of just sex for pleasure's sake.
Resting her head on Peter's chest, Gamora smiled brightly. They still had a while before the blizzard passed. Giving them plenty of time to bask in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
Feeling Peter's fingers running slowly through her dark tresses, Gamora closed her eyes. To the Zehoberi woman, the universe consisted of only her, this cabin, and her terran.
Again, sorry for the late update. Hopefully I did not lose all my readers because of it.
