Mother told me, yes she told me
I'd meet girls like you
She also told me stay away
You'll never know what you'll catch

The first thing he registered was something melodious. It sounded as if it was coming from very far away, so it hadn't been the cause of his consciousness. But, it was there, nonetheless.

Trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night
Let me show you, girl, that I know wrong from right

Then, it started to sound clearer and when it did, he became aware of a different sound. It wasn't lyrical, like what he'd been hearing before, but it was pleasant. Melodious in a different way. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn't quite...

It happened again and it occurred to him: laughter. That was what he was hearing: someone was laughing.

Every part of him felt so heavy, but… he wanted to know. He wanted to know who was making those sounds. He slowly opened his eyes, even though the lids felt like they had planets weighing them down.

He took in the sight of a strange circle shape and dark colors, but he soon realized he was looking at where he went into the dirt in the pot. He painstakingly raised his head to see the rest of the room.

At first, there was light.

Then, it slowly came into focus.

Most of it was still, so they couldn't be the things making the sounds. His eyes finally found something that was moving. He tried to figure out what he was seeing. One was standing on something that wasn't moving while the other was as big as the still thing and the moving thing. They were different, he could tell that much; they didn't look much alike at all. The tall one had a weird shaped head, he observed, the yellow top kept moving when the rest of them came to a stop.

The bigger one had their appendage, finger was the word, in the hand of the smaller one. She (at least, he thought they were a she) ducked under their joined arms and twisted around until she was facing him again. They didn't stop moving to the music and he just watched as that sound filled the room again.

They were both laughing.

He felt a smile pull across his face and as his eyes closed, Groot thought of one thing.

Mama and Daddy.

Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away

"Hold on, Groot!"

Groot did as he said and held on tight to the side of the ship as Yondu piloted them through the atmosphere.

He knew he didn't understand much. Things were hard to understand. He had trouble with instructions and if people had a hat on or if that was just their head. But, he understood that Daddy was sad. And he knew it was because Mama was gone. He was sad too. But, he knew that Daddy had made Mama sad, which made both Groot and Daddy even sadder. Daddy, because he'd upset someone he really cared about, even if he wouldn't always admit it. Groot, because…

What if they didn't stop making each other sad?

What if that meant they stopped being each other's?

What if they stopped being his Mama and Daddy?

But, maybe… They were going to see Mama again. Maybe everything would go back to normal.

Maybe they wouldn't keep making each other sad.

Father says your mother's right
She's really up on things
Before we married Mommy served
On the WACs in the Philippines

"Hey there, Jackass!"

The ship jerked and skidded horribly as they piloted directly into Ego. Finally coming to a stop right on top of him. Since the door was open, Groot was able to get an uninhibited view of the familiar people that were making their way towards them.

Green lady, Gamora, was there. He liked Gamora, she was nice and stayed with him whenever his Mama and Daddy were busy doing something. She would put music on and he'd dance while she watched and swayed.

There was a blue lady that always made Gamora upset. Nebula. She said she hurt Mama. He didn't like her. Not at all.

There was the big one that was mean and never wore a shirt. Groot supposed he was alright. Sometimes. When he wasn't ruining his music.

There was the lady he didn't know that well. The one that looked like that bug he'd try to eat. She seemed nice.

And then…

"I am Groot!"

"It's good to see you too, Groot!"

She jumped into the ship and scooped him up easily so she could place him on her shoulder. Groot wrapped his arms around her neck and sighed in contentment; Mama was back. She smiled down at him, but he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes flashed around the ship.

"Where's—Rocket."

Groot had to hold on tightly to her collar as she jolted forward and wrapped her arms around Daddy. He seemed surprised, probably because he thought she would still be mad at him, but he only took a moment before he hugged her back.

They pulled back quicker than they probably wanted to and Mama smiled that smile she only ever had for Daddy.

"I should've stayed with you."

Before Daddy could respond, Drax spoke up. Probably for the best, because he looked like he wouldn't be able to come up with a response for a little while.

"What were you doing? You could have killed us all!"

"Uh, 'thank you, Rocket,'" Daddy responded, Mama continuing to kneel down next to his seat even though she lost that smile in the presence of others.

"We had it under control," Drax replied.

"We did not," Mantis spoke up, fear in her voice "That is only an extension of his true self."

Groot didn't even notice; Mama was thoughtlessly scratching Daddy behind the ears. Maybe everything would go back to normal.

Now I had heard the WACs recruited
Old maids for the war
But Mommy's neither one of those
I've known her all these years

"How do we kill a Celestial?"

Groot looked away from the light tendrils that were sticking up out of the ground and to his Mama. He'd expected her to be making that face she made whenever it was time to take care of business or maybe even smiling at Rocket, but she was doing neither of those things. She seemed to be focusing on a corner of the ship that had nothing interesting, almost like she was looking everywhere but Daddy or Peter. But, even stranger, Peter seemed to be doing the same thing; he was refusing to look at Groot's Mama and Daddy.

The tendrils suddenly wrapped around the ship and jerked it down as they tried to fly off; Mama having to grab on tight to the back of Daddy's seat to not be thrown back.

"You might want to sit down, Blondie," he advised, Mama for once not arguing and taking a seat on the arm of his chair.

"That was being funny," Yondu was saying to Peter as they tried to fly free of Ego.

"Not to me!" Peter replied heatedly.

"You people have issues," Daddy said as he worked on getting them out of there.

"Of course I have issues," Peter said "That's my freaking father!"

The ship jerked free and they flew out of the home only to immediately go into a nose dive. Mama held on tight to the back of the chair and Groot held on tight to Mama's collar as they went down towards the ground.

"We should be going up!" Yondu shouted.

"We can't. Ego wants to eradicate the universe as we know it. We have to kill him," Groot heard Peter say before he shouted down to them "Rocket!"

Daddy started to shoot through the rock so they could reach the planet's core and the ship jostled about as he worked.

"So we're saving the galaxy again?" He asked.

"Looks like it," Mama replied.

"Awesome. We can really jack up our price if we're two-time galaxy savers."

"If we survive," Mama replied matter-of-factly, Daddy sending her a look that was supposed to be annoyed, but had too much warmth to be so.

"You don't have to be so negative."

Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away

They lost the side of their ship, but they finally made it to the planet's cavernous center. The air uncomfortably silent as Daddy aligned the lasers so he could start to fire into the core, where Ego's brain was.

The sound of the drills was a welcome change from eerie quiet that had filled the ship just moments before. Even so, Mama still seemed tense, what with the way her hand snaked down to rest on Daddy's shoulder. They both exchanged a look before focusing back in on the headway that was being made.

"Do you hear that?" Daddy asked, Mama frowning as Yondu yelled down.

"Hear what- Oh, Hell!"

The ship suddenly jolted away from the core as a new problem revealed itself:

The Sovereign.

The ship shuttered around in an attempt to dodge the blasts coming from the fleet of ships that were following them. They suddenly jerked one way and Drax, Gamora, and Mantis went off the ship. Mama and Groot might've joined them as well if it weren't for Daddy grabbing her by the arm and hauling her back to sitting on the side of his seat.

"You're not leaving me this time, Blondie."

Whatever happened to all this season's
Losers of the year
Every time I got to thinking
Where'd they disappear

Groot watched as Daddy fashioned a bomb out of the batteries and a timer as he, Mama, and Peter discussed their next move. Once again, Peter and Mama seemed like they were trying to do their very best to not interact with each other, like there was something wrong. Maybe it was just one of those things Groot didn't understand, like knocking before entering.

"That thing strong enough to kill Ego?" Peter asked.

"If it is, it'll blow up a chain reaction through the entire nervous system," Daddy replied.

"That doesn't sound good for us," Mama said, Daddy sending her a look.

"The entire planet will explode."

"So, definitely not good for us," Mama replied, Daddy throwing his arms up.

"C'mon," Peter said, not making eye contact as he and Mama turned on their helmets.

The three adults jumped off the ship and rocketed off; Groot having to hold on tight to the back of Mama's jacket so he wouldn't go flying as she swerved around the Sovereign. They managed to make it to the hole that Daddy had drilled into the core unscathed and all of them stumbled inside.

"The metal's too thick," Daddy said as he studied the inside of the core "For the bomb to work, we actually have to place it on Ego's core."

"None of us can fit in…" Mama's voice trailed off as she went to look over at Daddy, but her eyes caught on Groot.

"That's a terrible idea!" Daddy exploded, already sensing what Mama would suggest.

"Got a better one?" She countered, lifting Groot off of her shoulder and placing him on Daddy's.

"Unbelievable," Daddy groaned and sent her a dirty look before he started to walk as close as he could to the core. Groot situated himself so he could watch Mama as they went and she gave him a small wave and a reassuring smile.

"Be fast, I don't know how long we can handle these guys," Mama added as they went.

"Rocket, do this. Rocket, do that," Daddy said in a high pitched, squeaky voice. Mama rolling her eyes as Daddy did that less than flattering impression of her.

Soon enough, Mama and Peter were out of sight and Daddy was placing him down with the bomb in between them.

"Alright, first you flip this switch, then this one, then you edcbnj erfrn, which will give you five minutes to get out of there," Daddy explained "Now whatever you do, don't abvdsjnfr asdfjndver jsfdnqjfn qjfnrujf sdjfnerf qfnfn. Now, repeat back what I just said."

"I am Groot," he started.

"Uh huh."

"I am Groot."

"That's right."

"I am Groot!" He finished, pointing at the button Daddy had pointed at the most.

"No! No, that's the button that will eyrhcjcn! Try again."

"I am Groot…"

"Mmhm."

"I am Groot."

"Uh huh."

"I am Groot," he said, pointing to the button.

"NO! That's exactly what you just sai- how's that even possible?! Which button is the one you're supposed to push, point to it!" Daddy exclaimed, Groot more confused than ever.

Groot pointed to the button and Daddy threw his hands up in the air.

"NO!"

"Hey, you're makin' him nervous!" Peter shouted, his head appearing in a hole in the top of the core.

"Shut up and give me some tape!" Daddy snapped at him "Does anyone have tape out there? I want to put some tape over the death button!"

"I don't have any tape, lemme check!"

Then I woke up, Mom and Dad
Are rolling on the couch
Rolling numbers, rock and rolling
Got my Kiss records out

"Rocket?!"

Groot smiled widely and waved at Mama, who was now looking through the hole. Mama smiled and waved back, but he could tell she was distracted.

"Please tell me you have tape," Daddy said, looking over his shoulder as Mama frowned and shook her head.

"No. I wanted to talk to you."

"Now?!" Daddy replied, Mama nodding this time.

"I figure if I tell you while you're worrying about dying, you won't have time to get mad," she said, Daddy sending her a look.

"Mad about what?"

"I… may have… let certain things slip to Peter."

"What things?" Daddy asked, frowning.

"Things that may or may not have happened on Ba-Banis."

Daddy's eyes grew wide before he whipped around to face Mama fully, who was already tense in preparation for being torn into.

"You did what?!" Daddy yelled "How—Why would you do that?!"

"It just slipped!" Mama yelled back, but with less heat.

"How does stuff like that just slip?!"

"Because he was trying to make a move!"

Groot felt his own eyes grow wider as he picked up on what Mama was saying and he looked over at Daddy, who was completely frozen in place. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung ajar slightly, Groot whimpering softly as he recognized what abject terror looked like on his Daddy's face.

"Nobody has tape!"

Peter reappeared next to Mama and he immediately picked up something was wrong going off of how everyone was dead silent.

"What…?"

Daddy seemed to snap out of his shock and now snarled at Peter, who jerked back even though he had no way of reaching him.

"You made a move on my girl, Quill?!"

Peter looked between Mama's uncomfortable and slightly guilty face and Daddy's furious expression. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times before he managed to sputter out an answer.

"Now? We're-we're going to do this now?"

"You son of a bitch!" Daddy yelled, Groot frowning and slouching "You're a dead man, Quill!"

"How was I supposed to know you two were serious?!" Peter yelled back "All you do is yell at each other!"

Groot shuffled uncomfortably as all the adults yelled at each other; he wanted them to stop. He didn't want them to fight. He just wanted everything to be how it was before.

"That doesn't mean it's cool to hit on someone who's said they're in a relationship, though!" Mama jumped in, Daddy nodding in agreement.

Groot's eyes slid off of Daddy and landed on the bomb sitting in front of him.

"I'm not arguing that point! That was very not cool of me! I agree!" Peter exclaimed "I'm just trying to wrap my head around why you two are married. Honestly, I don't understand why you're with her, Rocket. All she does is infuriate you!"

"Because I love her!"

Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright
They just seem a little weird
Surrender, surrender
But don't give yourself away

The fight raged on behind them, but not one of them acknowledged this. It was completely silent between the three of them. Before Peter could sputter out an excuse to fly as far away as possible or Tessa could demand an explanation or Rocket could give a defense to his words that would undoubtedly hurt some feelings, their eyes were drawn by a familiar sound.

"I am Groooot!"

Groot was gone and so was the bomb.

"We're all gonna die."

Away