**A/N: This chapter is a bit of a filler and more fluffier than the FDA recommends on a daily basis but it's adorable and IDGAF. I hope you enjoy it. Only a few to go! This makes me a bit sad. I put a lot of time into this story and it's very bittersweet now that it's drawing to a close. Enjoy!
Song Inserts:
The Four Tops- I Got A Feeling (You'll see it.)
King Harvest- Dancing in The Moonlight (You'll read it as well. This song is SO epic.)
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Where's A Cow Bell When You Need One?
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A soft, tinkling noise greeted Peter as did the bright rays of good old fashion Earth produced sunshine peeking through the white cotton curtains of the nearby open window. He squinted, shielding his dark green eyes from the sun beams filtering in, having not being accustomed to sunny mornings during his time out in the far vastness of the galaxy.
After adjusting to the potent UV rays, he allowed himself a moment to fully appreciate the view outside the window. A cloudless blue stretched as far as they eye could see; the sight bringing a smile to his face. Memories of laying in the grass with his mother invaded his thoughts, the two spending hours cloud gazing on warm, Missouri days just like this.
He remembered fondly of pointing out different clouds, announcing in a proud voice, what they resembled whether it resembled said figure or not. Even though most didn't close to the shape Peter would claim, Meredith always exclaimed her enthusiasm as being able to see the forms as well, usually complementing him on having such a marvelous imagination that left him beaming happily with unadulterated delight.
Normally, a memory as wonderful and as equally heartbreaking as such would have left Peter's chest aching in a state of disarray and sadness. Now, however, his feet being back on his native world's soil, the memory filled him with nostalgic bliss, leaving him feeling somehow closer to her, as silly as it sounded in his head. This was a feeling that Peter never thought he would be able to wrap his head, around much less, experience. He had spent too long convinced that Earth would just serve to be a blackhole of emotional despair for him and strived to avoid the rock.
Dani had irrevocably changed so much in his life. The fact that he had willingly stayed separated from her presence for all these months simply boiled down to one stone cold fact: sheer stupidity.
Okay, maybe two.
Sheer stupidity and pride. All of that was changed now. Peter vowed to himself, to the love of his life, not to mention a room full of perfect strangers last night, that wherever Dani went, he was going to be right there with her.
Smiling warmly, he stretched out his arm blindly behind him, intent on pulling his own little ray of sunshine close to him. His hand roamed the vast expansion of the cool bed, coming up with only empty sheets. Frowning, he leaned up in bed, his half-asleep blurry eyes scanning the room. The smile returned to his face when his gaze landed on the stuffed pink zebra with purple stripes, the one he had won for her at the fair all those years ago, sitting directly across from him in a large wicker chair next to the bay window facing the south side of the house. He rolled onto his back, propping himself up onto his elbows as he glanced wistfully at the innocent remnant of their childhood.
"So, we meet again, Laffy Taffy, if I remember correctly.' He paused briefly, unable to stop the smirk that appeared at the silly name Dani had bestowed upon the animal. 'I do hope you enjoyed the performance we put on last night. Never had to take an actual Gatorade break between rounds before."
The lifeless black, beady eyes simply stared back.
"And I'm talking to inanimate objects now. Great. I blame the ozone getting to my head."
He glanced over towards the cracked open bedroom door. "Dani?"
No response.
Needing to stretch out his aching muscles, Peter climbed out of the bed, stretching out said muscles as he groaned, feeling his body silently complaining in aching defiance from their overzealous bedroom antics. Not that Peter minded in the slightest honestly. A small amount of tenderness was totally worth it when he received a full crash course of how loud Dani could truly be. His blood warmed as his provocative thoughts ventured into dark waters, remembering how bendy the talented dancer truly was.
(Maybe I should call her Gumby instead.)
Shaking off the rising blood pressure inducing thoughts, he scanned the bedroom floor, locating his discarded boxers, pulling them up before meandering towards the open window. A cool breeze blew in, tickling the bare skin of his stomach. He glanced out briefly then pushed it closed, the aging wood whining quietly in protest. With the window firmly closed, it was then that he was able to hear music coming from the downstairs area, drifting up through the floor and the open door.
Intrigued as to what Dani was up to, he exited the room, following the upbeat tune down the hallway then descending the narrow-carpeted staircase, his hand gliding along the polished tarnish wood of the railing. Moving closer to the noise, his brain was fully able to decipher the music. It was an oldie but a goodie. The Four Tops 'I Got A Feeling' blared out towards him as he passed through the living room.
Turning the corner, his steps slowed then stopped completely as he took in the sight before him. The scene was far too precious to interrupt. Peter crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned against the archway, a wide, beaming smile gracing his face.
Clad only in a thin white tank top and red bikini panties, Dani swayed back and forth to the song, pausing what she was doing to fully shake her butt in time as she danced along with the chorus. Singing low to herself, she tightened her high ponytail then resumed her current objective. Peter's eyes shamelessly trailed down her back, resting on her backside as she continued to sway, unaware that her impromptu performance now had an audience.
"Someone's in a good mood." He observed, breaking his silence as Dani yelped in surprise. Spinning around, her face beaming, her mouth went dry, seeing him watching her from across the kitchen as he wore only a pair of boxers. His eyes were watching her in manner that had her heart pounding in record time. She silently said a little prayer, hoping that this feeling that only Peter could invoke in her never faded with time.
"You startled me.' She stated matter of fact. 'I'm making pancakes."
She pointed her whisk to the counter, turning back to the large bowl of batter in front of her. He moved silently, stalking up to her then wrapped his arms around her midsection, placing a chaste yet lingering kiss on her bare shoulder.
"Mm mm, pancakes. How domestic of you but I can think of something that sounds better than pancakes." He murmured into her skin, pushing the strap of her top down her arm to kiss along her shoulder. Dani bit her bottom lip to keep herself in check.
"As enticing as that would be, I'm starving. Besides, you've never had my world renown cooking so sit, Hot Lips." She swatted his hands away from her stomach and pointed to the breakfast nook.
Peter laughed joyfully, raising his hands in surrender before taking a seat on the white woodened stool facing her, his eyes still hungrily watching her every movement. It still surprised him to no end how utterly captivated Peter was with the blonde woman in this kitchen. Watching Dani simply flipping pancakes on her gas stove as she hummed to herself, occasionally shooting a bright smile over her shoulder at him left Peter in a swirl of disorientating thoughts. How just being in proximity of her had him brimming with wild excitement and somehow comforting to him at the same time was beyond a mystery.
"Done."
She lifted two plates off the counter, setting them down opposite each other on the nook then took a seat in front of him.
Not touching her blueberry pancakes, she eyed him closely as Peter cut into his fluffy disk, waiting on his reaction. Taking a large bite, Peter moaned as he smiled happily.
"My god, this is amazing.' He paused his chewing, recognition dawning on his taste buds. 'This is Christine's recipe, isn't it?" He gushed, taking another large bite, his reaction to the second bite just as pronounced as the first.
"Heck yeah, best cook this side of the Mississippi." She exclaimed, digging into her own stack.
"A bowl of cereal would've sufficed. You didn't need to go through all this trouble."
She raised a challenging eyebrow in his direction.
"I wanted pancakes. Also, I have cause for pancake sized celebration." Dani stated, looking up at Peter slyly, making him smirk. It didn't take a rocket scientist as to what, or who, she was referring to.
"Well, I thank you either way. These are fantastic, better than I remember."
"You're just biased." She said after swallowing a large bite. She was being modest because, well damn, even Dani would toot her own horn. They were delicious.
"Maybe, maybe not."
They ate in comfortable silence; Dani stealthily watching him from under her eyelashes, a few different thoughts buzzing around like annoying flies inside her head. There were things that she wanted to discuss with Peter, clear the air so to speak. Yet right now, he sat in front of her, both eating breakfast in the kitchen on a Sunday morning like a regular couple, Dani was at a loss for words on how to broach what was in her mind.
She was thankfully saved from her inner monologue by the beeping of the coffee pot. Hopping off the red leather cushion of her stool, she pulled open a cabinet door, producing a mug then glanced back at him.
"Want some?"
He nodded, moving the massive bite he had just taken to one cheek to talk around the heavenly concoction. "Black's fine." He mumbled.
Dani couldn't help but snort at his lack of table etiquette. "Nice."
He simply shrugged. "What? It's so good!"
She chuckled as she set his cup of black java down in front of him.
"I think you're just ecstatic not to be eating prepackaged space rations." She ribbed, knowing already that she was about to receive a full stink eye. Peter had not disappointed.
"Stop being so difficult." He firmly stated, clearly teasing her back.
Settling back into her seat, she sipped quietly, her mind wandering off once more on her earlier musings.
He finished his plate with zest, eyeing the empty skillet on the stove almost longingly. Dani pushed her last pancake towards him, feeling full of the amount she had consumed.
"Have at it, big boy. I'm stuffed."
"Are you calling me fat again? I'll have you know that I worked up a helluva appetite last night, not to mention, burned a ton of calories." He shot back playfully, still accepting the plate as he pushed his plate aside. Fixing him with a stern look, Dani casually sipped her coffee before responding.
"Stop it. You're perfect."
Her admission brought a small grin to his face. He nodded once in acknowledgment. "True."
Both plates now empty, Peter wiped his mouth on his napkin, crumpling it up into a tiny ball as he sipped on his coffee, giving Dani his full attention.
"So, what's on your mind?"
Her eyebrows furrowed questioningly. "How—"
"You're gnawing on your bottom lip and sporting the thousand-yard stare.' He sipped again then pointed to her face. 'I've spent more time watching you than I should be admitting to. So, what do you want to talk about?"
Deliberating, she chose the easier topic first.
"If you're here, where are the others? It slipped my mind last night."
"Well, after the ordeal with my real father, Gamora reconciled with her sister. She decided to travel with Nebula for a while, needing to try and work on their craziness. She keeps in touch every few weeks. As for the others, they're handling a load off job we are contracted for. They'll be back in a few days. That is unless Rocket enjoys being captain too much and commandeers my ship. I'll be marooned here then." He said with a laugh.
"Yeah, being trapped here." Dani absently replied. It was Peter's turn to furrow his eyebrows, not liking her comment.
"I wouldn't say 'trapped' per say."
She contemplated her next words carefully.
"Did you mean what you said last night at the Watering Hole? About staying on Earth with me?" She inquired, her nerves banging out a samba as she fidgeted, rolling the mug in her hands. Peter answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Of course, I meant it. The last several months without you has been hell, Dani. Wherever you are, that's where I want to be."
Her throat tight at the sincerity in his voice, her eyes darting towards his hand that had reached across the nook to hold hers.
"Even if it meant leading a boring, average life in exchange of giving up the stars?"
His quick response caught her by surprise.
"In a heartbeat. With you, it wouldn't be boring or average. We'd have our own adventure. Together."
(Wow, it's getting heavy in here.)
Needing to move, to do something, she cleared their plates and loaded the dishwasher, starting the cycle before turning back to face him.
"And figuratively speaking, if I chose to, I could still leave with you when they return?"
Peter stood up, moving to stand in front of her as he spoke, his finger skimming her jawline on his way to lightly play with a curl of her hair that had come undone from her ponytail.
"Obviously, yes. But I want you to think it through first. Don't feel as though I'm going to pressure you one way or the other. I'm 100% with whatever you decide. Whether it's four walls on a spaceship or white picket fence with 2.5 screaming kids, including dance recitals, baseball practice. We're in this together, if that's what you want."
Dani breathed out deeply, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "So, no pressure, huh?"
Taking a quick tumble down that rabbit hole, Dani allowed herself to momentarily imagine what it'd be like if they stayed on Earth.
Living in her parents' house. Their house. Marrying Peter, becoming Mrs. Daniella Quill. She even let her mind go as far as to what he had said himself. She imagined a small boy and girl, both with her strawberry blonde hair but Peter's dark green eyes. First steps, scraped knees, homework at the kitchen table, Peter coaching baseball games while she cheered from the stands, even Dani teaching their children to drive while he stood anxiously watching from their front porch as he chewed off his nails in apprehension.
Her heart swelled at merely the thought of the possible life they could have here.
She glanced up at him, feeling the open honesty radiating from his being as he patiently watched her with knowing eyes.
And yet…
As wonderful as that possibility was, would he ever truly be happy with that life?
Out there, Peter was something else. Not just Peter Quill, not even Star Lord, more than something so explainable. Peter was made for that life; he was in his element chasing the stars and it was magnificent to behold. Like witnessing a force of nature at work. Being out there with him was exhilarating and terrifying all at once, making her feel more alive than Dani had felt before. Not that she would ever stroke his ego by telling him that.
Did he really want to give all that glory up for an average John Smith 9 to 5 life?
Could she?
Besides grieving Terry's death and moping for the loss of Peter in her life, Dani missed being halfway across the galaxy, seeing new worlds and experiencing adventure with her friends and her love. She opened her mouth to speak, prompting Peter to hush her with his finger to her lips.
"Seriously. Think about it. We have a few days to mull this over."
"Can I ask you something?"
He nodded in response.
"What do you want?"
"You." He replied automatically.
Dani huffed in annoyance. "You know what I meant. Would you rather live here forever or return to everything you've know these last countless years?"
"I told you, I'm not affecting-"
Rolling her eyes briefly to the ceiling, she reached her hands up to cup his face, her thumbs pressing his lips shut.
"That'll be enough of the martyr crap. This is not just my decision to make, it's our decision. This is going to affect both of our lives and I can't be the only one deciding this. That's not how relationships work, it's unfair. I've made that mistake before and I almost destroyed us. I'm not making that mistake again. I want to know what you want for your life, Peter." She rushed out before he could interrupt her.
Dani moved her thumbs off his lips, tracing the stubble of his jaw. It felt like hours ticked by as Peter stared into her eyes, watching her as he weighed his options even though it was only a moment or two of him pursing his lips in concentration.
He went to speak but it was her turn to cut him off. "And you better be 100% honest with me."
Peter paused momentarily before speaking. "If we're going for honesty, well… as amazing as… um, it's just that… how do I say…"
"Peter." She sternly said his name, irritation creeping into her tone.
"Ok, ok. In all seriousness, I love my life. Out there. But that lifestyle makes it difficult to be domesticated, if you catch my drift. We've talked about this."
She didn't need him to explain what he meant. She remembered that conversation.
"We'd never be able to have children. Not living like that, it's too dangerous." Dani mumbled out loud, more to herself.
His face hardened in anguish as he sighed. Peter knew it was a horrible thing to ask of her. To either stay and have a normal life, maybe children, his children. Or to return with him to their dangerous yet exciting life but both knowing they could never have a family.
She had been right. What kind of parents would they be if they knowingly endangered their children's' lives because they wanted to be selfish and have it all? Their lifestyle always had a knife to their throat, the never-ending possibilities of what could be sneaking up behind them in the dark. Some unknown force from the past that could tear apart what Peter and Dani had hoped to build together, their legacy.
The pull of returning to adventure and the galaxy called out to him but a much larger part of his soul knew he'd be happy with whatever Dani chose. He couldn't, wouldn't live without her again.
"I know it's a lot to take in. At your behest, I told you my preferable choice but no matter what, you're stuck with me now, Patrick. All you gotta do is decide where we lay our heads at night. Take your time, love."
He leaned forward, placing a firm kiss to her forehead. Dani wrapped her arms around his midsection, squeezing him close to her as she laid her head on his chest. Not wanting to dwell on the subject now, she focused on the sound of his steady heartbeat as well as the music drifting from her stereo, King Harvest 'Dancing in The Moonlight'. A smile crept over her lips, it was another favorite of hers, maybe top five. Peter wrapped her up in his embrace, lifting her suddenly up onto the marble counter as laughter erupted from her small frame.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" She asked between laughs. Peter positioned himself between her legs, his hands running up her bare things. The new elevation brough her almost eye level with him. He smiled mischievously, his lips moving to her exposed neck, placing soft kisses on her skin as he pushed himself flush against her. His fingers sliding up under the sides of the straps of her bikinis teasingly.
"I'm think we have this house all to ourselves and that we have a lot of 'catching up' to do." Peter murmured seductively into her neck, his beard stubble rubbing her neck, sparking a fire within her. He reached around, firmly grabbing her backside in both hands.
(Still putty in those fine hands of his.)
Dani moaned, unable to stop herself. If she had to name her biggest weakness, it was how her body instantaneously reacted to Peter's touch. Dani finally came to terms that if he wanted to set the world ablaze, she'd be there with a match in hand. That's how much she felt for him and, at times, it was scary. Scary yet utterly thrilling to find a love so deep and consuming as what they shared.
Pulling back to look at him, her eyes etching his handsome and rugged face into her very soul. His dark eyes which were now watching her in intense desire as they bore into her, burning her from the inside. Her gaze trailed down Peter's face to his perfectly shaped lips, they always kept her on her toes with his quick wit and-
(Let's not forget how talented he is with them in other departments.)
A blush crept up her face at her sordid thoughts. And it wasn't just his good looks. He truly was Dani's other half. Peter was funny, gentle, kind a smartass (she'd never tell him how much she loves that about him), fiercely loyal and let's not forget, giving.
(For god's sake, he's willing to give up a life he's always known and loves if that's what I want him to do.)
Everything seemed to click into place. Her mind flew to the picture in the hallway of that day on the beach with her family, the one of her parents gazing at each other, so madly in love. People had found their devotion to each other a bit nauseating, but Dani never had, and she now knew why.
That's how much she loved the man in front of her, what she had been yearning for all these years, why no previous relationship ever stuck.
Her soul was waiting on Peter to come back to her and Dani knew now that she would never want anything more than she wanted Peter. That she'd move Heaven and Earth to make him happy.
It would seem that fate delivered her soul mate to her in the form of her oldest and dearest friend.
Funny how that all worked out in the end.
Peter frowned, the calculating look on Dani's face was making him self conscious.
"What? Do I have syrup on my face?"
She gave the smallest of head shakes, not looking away. Her mouth blurting out the first slightly coherent thing that came to mind.
"Marry me."
Peter's eyes widened. He was really, not expecting that to come out of her mouth.
"What?" He stuttered, completely caught off guard by her proposal. The sound of the back door behind Peter didn't register to them nor the fiery redhead fighting to get her key unstuck from the dead bolt.
"Piece of shit." Amelia muttered to herself, not looking up as she fumbled with the lock. Finally freeing the key, she huffed loudly as she closed the door and threw her purse on the kitchen island, not having noticed the spectacle occurring in the room.
"Hey love birds! If you're humping some place that is accessible to me and don't want me watching or joining, better cover up!" She yelled in a teasing manner, obviously trying to warn them that she was home as she crossed the room to dig out a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Jesus!" Dani yelled angrily, not expecting to hear her friend's voice. The redhead froze in spot once she noticed the two in the kitchen, a wide stupid grin on her face.
"No, Amelia.' Her eyes blatantly trailing down Peter's body. 'Well hello again, Tall, Tan and nearly Naked. Kitchen sex, huh? Nice." Amelia said jokingly as Dani scrambled off the counter, her face as red as her friend's hair.
"What the hell?! You said you'd be back tomorrow morning!" She snapped as she strategically stepped in front of a boxers only Peter.
"Good morning to you too, dear Dani." She replied sarcastically, not enjoying her friend's snappy tone as she took a deep swallow from her bottle. Dani was having none of her usual sarcasm.
"Dammit, Amelia! What the fuck?"
The redhead visibility took a step back, not liking her tone.
"Ok, first off, you need to chill the eff out, ese. Second, I forgot my medication and phone charger. Two vitals one cannot live without in this day and age. My bad. And third, what crawled up your ass this morning?" Her eyes flitted to Peter, who was leaning heavily against the counter behind Dani, not allowing himself to feel intimidated by the fact he was practically in his birthday suit.
Dani fixed a threatening death glare towards her friend.
(Don't you do it, Mitchell.)
"On second thought, I think I already know what's been up there."
(And she went there anyway.)
Dani clenched her eyes shut, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. A few breaths later, Amelia spoke again.
"I can see that I showed up at a bad time, so I'll get my stuff and get out of your love nest."
Dani turned around, placing her palms on her cheeks to cool the burning sensation after Amelia was upstairs.
"I'm going to put some clothes on. Be right back." Peter mumbled, shooting past her for the stairs. He had hoped to make it back to Dani's room before Amelia came out but no such luck. He was halfway up the stairs when she round the landing. She waved a hand at him, signaling Peter to pass. His cheeks were now burning as well as he moved past her in the small space.
"Hey, Peter, by the way, I don't normally go for guys who wear tight boxer briefs, but you fill those out very, very well." Amelia called after him as Peter beelined for the bedroom. He clenched his jaw as he absently waved behind him in acknowledgment, closing the door. She chuckled as she made her way back down to the kitchen. Dani was sitting at the nook, her head in her hands along with the expression mimicking someone who just swallowed a bug.
"What's with the long face? I've caught you doing worse though I must say how upset I am. I happen to binge eat ice cream on that counter at 2 in the morning." Amelia joked, sitting on the stool Peter had been in not that long ago. The playful smile faded as she studied her friend.
"What's wrong?"
Dani stared blankly ahead; horror etched on her face.
"I asked Peter to marry me."
Amelia's loud squeak startled her, the redhead leaning forward, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"Really? What happened? This is a good thing. Isn't it? It's supposed to be a good thing. Why do you look like it's not a good thing? Did he say no? Do you want me to kill him? I'm gonna kill him if he said no." Amelia rambled, not sure what to say. She was half turned out of her seat as though to grab a butcher knife out of the drawer.
"The Unsinkable Amelia Mitchell happened. I sort of blurted it out like verbal vomit five seconds before you came clomping in like an obnoxious Clydesdale with an air horn."
Amelia clapped her hands over her mouth.
"Oh my…. I am so sorry, Dee! That's why he was white as a sheet. I figured it was from me catching you two dry humping in a food preparation area.' She observed, looking remorseful. 'I should go, leave you two alone to talk. I'll talk to you later. I really am sorry, Hun."
She squeezed Dani's shoulder before quickly making an exit out the back door. Even Amelia knew there was a time for her shenanigans, and this was not one of them.
Dani stared vacantly at the empty seat. She had meant it, still meant, her proposal. She wished she had been a bit smoother with her wording and that they hadn't been so rudely interrupted. She loved Peter immensely and wanted him to be her husband but maybe it was too fast for him. They had their whole lives ahead of them and it might be better if they did take it slower. Lord knows their relationship aboard the Milano happened in a flash.
To say that Dani was confused would be putting it mildly. It was Peter who had come running back to her when she reached out to him. He was the one to announce publicly in a packed bar full of strangers that he wanted to be with her, start a family with her if that's what she wanted.
Why did he balk and bolt for the bedroom when she asked him to marry her?
(Stop being such a teenager and go ask him!)
Not being able to stomach the unease that was growing inside her, Dani got up and made her way to the bedroom, her brain sorting through her words now before she confronted him. Dani knocked, not wanting to startle him if he was changing and called in that she was coming in.
Peter, still wearing only his boxers, stood by her dresser, his back facing her.
"Hey." She called out in a quiet voice.
He turned his gaze to her, giving Dani a gentle smile.
"Hi. Glad it's you. I thought for sure Amelia was coming to finally claim me as her own." He teased, turning his penetrating gaze back towards the dresser. His comment made Dani chuckle lightly.
"I told you, she's only messing with you. That's just how she is. She said that you're attractive but doesn't think of you in that way. She would never do that to me."
He nodded, still averting his eyes from her own. "I know. I don't fluster easily but she leaves me floundering in my own sputtering words and embarrassment. Just not use to that."
Dani crossed the room to see what he was staring at so intently. "What you got there?"
Peter picked up a picture frame off the counter, leaving Dani to cringe horrifically at the photo. She hadn't looked at it in so long, she forgot it was there. She attempted to snatch it out of his hand, but Peter extended it outside her reach, swatting at her hand.
"UGH! That's a terrible photo. Don't look at it. It'll suck your soul out if you stare too long."
He shot her a brief glare that straight up called her bullshit.
"Shut up. You look breathtaking as always."
His words warmed her and sent chills down her spine simultaneously.
It was her senior prom picture. It had been the mid-1990s and she went through a T-Boz from TLC faze, her hair was cut into a short in the back and longer towards the front cut that was a borderline bowl cut. She wore a long robin's egg blue ball gown that puffed horribly at the bottom.
Thinking back, Dani couldn't remember the name of the boy she had gone with. They ended up hanging out separately with their own groups of friends the whole time a few moments after this picture had been taken.
"That night was a colossal failure. He ditched me to drink the night away with his buddies in the bathroom. My friends pretty much pity danced with me."
Peter ran his thumb over her face in the portrait, an unreadable expression on his face.
"That should've been me holding you close in this picture. In all of them. You look so beautiful. I never would've done that to you." He said, nearly whispering. A random thought popped into Dani's head.
"It's not fair, you know. You've seen pictures of me when I was a teen. I wonder what you looked like as a teenager. Guess I'll never know." She pondered absently staring at the picture still in his hand.
Peter glanced at her momentarily, debating on his next decision. Setting the portrait down, he dug in his back pocket of his pants on the floor. He came back over to her, clutching something in his hand, giving her a stern look.
"You have to promise not to laugh at what I'm about to show you."
Hope flared in her chest. Feeling brazened, Dani sashayed up to him, pressing her body flush against his. She leaned up, her lips inches from his. She stared deeply into his eyes.
"No promises, Star Lord." Dani whispered, her lips brushing seductively against his as she spoke, successfully distracting Peter. Her fingers snatched the paper out of his hand. Dani launched herself onto the bed, her eyes moving to the paper in her grasp. Her hand flew to her mouth, suppressing the wide grin on her face as she took in the incredibly adorable younger Peter Quill. He appeared to be about eighteen, maybe nineteen in the picture which turned out to be an arrest mugshot. He had curly brownish blonde hair sticking out every which way as though he had just gotten into an intense pillow fight, his signature smug grin creeping up one side of his face.
"Hey, you didn't promise." He whined, pouting as he climbed onto to the bed, resting his weight gently down on her as he tried to snag the picture away playfully. Dani rolled onto her stomach, death gripping the picture under her chest.
"No way you're getting this back now. An actual existing picture of a younger you. This is more precious than gold to me." She declared, laughing ecstatically as her gaze trailed back down to the photo. She didn't see the touched expression, followed by the slow smile, that her words put on Peter's face. He leaned into her back, kissing her shoulder delicately.
"If it means that much to you, I guess you can keep it."
Dani glanced over her shoulder, her face nearly brushing his as she gave him a mischievous look that made his heart rate pick up.
"I wasn't planning on letting it go. The same goes for the man in the picture." She replied with an honesty that brought him up short. Peter pressed his lips firmly to hers.
Needing to have her closer, he pushed on her shoulder, rolling Dani over onto her back. He laid himself down on top of her as Peter deepened the kiss, never wanting to leave this bed.
Pulling back, his eyes danced over her face, his hand reaching up to brush away a few wisps of unruly bed hair from her eyes.
"Yes."
A wrinkle of confusion bunched up between her eyebrows. "Yes what?"
"Yes, I want to marry you, Daniella Rose Patrick." He proclaimed, never feeling more certain about anything in his life. Her bright green eyes welled up, her voice catching when she spoke.
"I thought with how you took off when I asked—"
Peter laughed dryly, looking away to the wall to shake his head before turning back to her.
"Your lovable, motormouth, man eating perv of a friend just stormed in on us in our underwear. I think I'm allowed to be a little startled."
Dani, feeling stupid and embarrassed, slapped her palm to her forehead. It was blatantly obvious why he reacted the way he did. How Peter ever tolerated her simple ness and mood swings, Dani never knew. She had, once again, let her insecurity run rampant, unchecked.
Peter swatted her hand away, annoyed. "Stop that. You bruise too easily for that crap."
"I guess that's the Irish in me."
"Christine's maiden name is Marnell. And Patrick? Never would have guessed that." He joked, staring down at her intently again.
"Are you sure?" She asked carefully, wanting to ensure that he was serious about her proposal.
"Beyond a doubt. I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Peter Quill. Has a certain ring to it. Daniella Quill."
"I was thinking you should take my name, Mr. Daniella Patrick, now that has a ring to it." She snickered at the obnoxious glare he gave her. Peter rolled to his side, pulling her close.
"Over my dead body. It's bad enough you beat me to proposing."
"So, when we doing this? I think an autumn wedding would be beautiful. Maybe mid-October before it gets cold—" Dani trailed off when she noticed the uncomfortable look Peter was giving her.
"What?"
"I don't want to wait that long. I also don't really want a big to do." Peter carefully admitted, deciding to be complete honest with her. He knew that there was a chance he was treading on unsteady ground. Most girls have their weddings fully planned out by the time they reached puberty. He came up surprised by the smile on her face.
"You got it, babe. Nothing big. I don't have a lot of, well, anyone I would want to be there anyway.' The smile faded. 'We may have another issue. For it to be legal, we may have to bring you back from the dead."
Peter's eyebrows shot up like a bullet shooting out of a gun.
"You had me declared dead?"
"Babe, it wasn't me. You've been missing for a quarter century, that was out of my hands."
He must've found it funny due to the silent laughter shaking through his frame.
"Glad you find it funny. I wasn't thrilled about it when I found out. It felt like a proverbial final nail in your coffin." Dani snapped, slightly miffed. Peter noticed her change in demeanor, so he rubbed gentle circles along her back.
"Don't be that way. I'm here, Sun Ray, there's nothing we can do about that now unless you decide that we're staying."
She calmed down a bit; some of the tension leaving her muscles from Peter's ministrations.
"I honestly don't care about a big wedding as long as we have some sort of vow exchange. I want to promise myself to you and you to me. That's all I care about." She admitted, making him smile.
"On some planets, we do that right here, right now and it would be legal." His tone turning suggestive as he spoke, hinting as to what he was referring to. Dani scoffed, catching his drift.
"Well, we're not on 'some planets' and if we're not gonna do this traditionally, we're doing this at least with our friends in attendance. I'm pretty sure Amelia would kill us if we eloped without her there."
"What if we take off and elope on another planet? She wouldn't be able to do anything about it then." The comment made Dani bust into hysterical, side splitting laughter.
"Have you met her? She'd find a way to hunt us down."
"Ok, you got me there. So, what do we do?" He asked, nodding in acknowledgment.
"Peter, I don't care if its even legal. I just want us to promise one to the other. WITH our friends present. It means everything to me that as long as we say what is in our hearts, that's all I will ever need."
Smiling, Peter pressed his lips to hers in a chaste yet endearing kiss, moved by her words.
"I think we can arrange that. We'll do this when the others return."
A thought occurred to Dani. "What about Gamora? She's our friend but I don't know if it would be in poor taste for her to be here, with how she feels about you, I mean."
He sighed deeply. That was a tough situation.
"I have her frequency programmed in my communicator. You can call her if you wish, it might be better coming from you. She may not admit to it, but she views you as more than a friend. Like a sister. Your leaving rippled through the dynamic of the crew. She was mopey and angry at me since you left. Even Rocket is pisser than usual. You worked your Dani magic on him."
"That's surprising. I figured he hated me."
"He meant what he said when you confronted him after Dorang. He was afraid, worried that you were going to tear apart our little ragtag group we were building, and he unjustly lashed out. That's really the only way he knows how to convey emotion, or at least was. We had a few drinks a couple weeks ago and I overheard him telling Drax that he 'sorta' missed having you around." Peter explained, replaying what was going on since her departure.
She bit her cheek, feeling a little emotional herself hearing that Rocket really did miss her.
Dani let out a light chuckle, shaking off the heavy moment.
"It seems I have leverage to lord over him if we decide to return to the Milano."
Peter's face fell rapidly, alerting Dani that something was amiss.
"What?"
He hesitated, not sure how to explain.
"Yeah. About the Milano—" Her head snapped up off his chest to glare down at him.
"What about her?"
"Have I ever told you about a race called the Sovereign?"
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