Hurray! I remembered. You're welcome.

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I added a chapter. This would be it. I realized there were more chapters with POV characters from "Peter's side" and wanted to even it out a bit. Apologies for the attempt at translating Rocket's accent into the written word.

Hugs and kisses to my fans; itchy genitals and uneven chair legs to my critics.

Part 4- Rocket

Things rarely ever went accordin' to their plans. Especially when StarIdiot was the one makin 'em. So, why would their attempt at "bonding" wit Nebula's squeeze be any different.

"All I'm saying is you might want to play this on the cool side." Nebula faced Quill with her arms folded, an irritated look on her face.

"Guys don't like it when women come on too strong. And you can be kind of…" he trailed off awkwardly, like he was hoping she'd finish the sentence for him. She didn't, letting him struggle. "…intense. I'm mean you don't want this kid to know how desperate you are." Nebula gave Quill a withering glare and shoved past him and out of the cockpit.

"Besides, don't you want to keep your options open?!" Rocket could hear Quill yelling as he followed her. "I mean he doesn't even think Footloose is the best movie ever!"

"It isn't."

He let a high-pitched "ugh", like she'd kicked him in the jewels. "He's already poisoning your mind with his bad taste."

Rocket shook his head. This was not gonna end well for Quill.

They were making their way back to Earth so Nebula could meet up with her boy toy again and drag them all to the little monster's recital for some stupid thing or another.

Rocket hadn't expected the scrawny Terran kid was actually gonna become a serious thing. The kid was all sunshine and…and…and whatever the hell else is sweet and happy. And Nebula is well…Nebula.

He ain't sayin he hasn't come to like her- more than like, which he'll never admit. She'd become part of the crew (i.e., family). Especially to him, after the Blip and all. They had five years' worth of history. They coulda easily gone their separate ways. Instead, they stuck togethah and that meant something.

Not just tah him neither. He wasn't the only softy in the group.

After savin' the world and gettin' everyone that was lost back…almost everyone- the guardians realized that somethin' had changed with Nebula. They realized that from the get-go. With Nebula practically catatonic form losin' her sister again. And then they saw how she mourned Stark and comforted Morgan and Pepper. She showed them that she didn't only have edges.

So, as their trips to this spinning ball of trash and water became a regular thing, he and the others had become concerned.

Quill was trying to oh so subtly shift Nebula towards a more casual relationship.

"I am Groot."

"Ah hell, who asked you?!"

Groot was not in agreement. He's a romantic.

"I am Groot."

"Thank you, Groot," Nebula told him.

"Sure, take her side!"

"Peter is worried," he heard Mantis say. "He fears that you will leave us. Abandon him, just like his mother, Yandu…Gamora."

"What? No, I don't. Shut up, Mantis. And we talked about the no touching rule. You are not allowed to touch me." He heard a few slapping sounds. "Hey! Stop slapping me!"

"You slapped me first!"

"Because you're invading my privacy!"

"No, I am not!"

"Yes, you are! My emotions are my privates!" At the deep giggle, "Shut up, Drax! You know what I mean. You are not allowed to touch people without permission. Consent is a thing Mantis! A very important thing. Which you do not have!"

Mantis and Drax continued to snicker at Peter's expense.

"Fine! You want to fall for the kid and watch horrible movies and listen to crap music, be my guest!" Quill stomped off to his bunk, mumbling something about Sinead O'Connor looking, E.T. fetish, whatever that meant.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Peter is also fearing for Nebula. He does not want the Terran to break Nebula, like he was when Gamora was lost. Love makes people happy. But it can also make them very sad. Peter often weeps because of it. He cares for Nebula and does not wish for her to be hurt."

Rocket glanced back at them. Their heads were bowed. No matter how much time passed, this was something they would never get over. How could they?

"Peter also believes that Nebula will punish the male species in general if the arachnid-boy ends your sexual intercourse. He fears for his soft man parts in your presence if this comes to pass."

Nebula scoffed, rolling her eyes and left.

Rocket'd taken it upon himself to talk some sense into Quill later on.

"Nebula makes an effort. You see how she is with the Starks and Parker." Quill didn't look convinced. "She's also frigin hard to get rid of. I mean, she tried to kill Gamora for years. You remember how hard she was to ditch. It's like that sex thing you caught from that chick on that smelly planet."

"That was a cold sore! Nothing more!"

"Sure, it was. That's why you kept scratching your-,"

"I get it. I get it," Quill cutting Rocket off as quickly as he could. "She's not gonna abandon us…But the kid could still hurt her."

There it was- the real problem. They all knew Nebula wasn't gonna disappear from their lives. The way she kept in contact with her earth people was evidence enough and besides they wouldn't let her.

Mantis had taught Drax how to use the interplanetary communication system. Nebula had once gone off on a mission with a few of the other Avengers for a month. Between the two of them, she'd gotten like six frigin calls a day- not including the ones Quill was sneaking in…or his. And he knew that Nebula was callin' Groot at least once a day. He couldn't imagine what they were always talkin' about.

No, Nebula ditchin them wasn't the issue.

It was her getting hurt. She wasn't all giggly and nice now, but she was happy. She smiled more, actually laughed, and even made fewah scathing remarks towards these idiots. After all that she'd went through with her garbage excuse for a father, they didn't want her gettin hurt again.

Which is what lead them here. To the Avengers fitness center.

They needed tah wait until Nebula had gone off with Pepper and the midget, but they were able to get the kid alone.

Quill and Drax had casually invited him to spar with them. Drax draping an arm across his shoulders, makin it clear it wasn'tah request. The other guardians just happened to be in the gym when they got there.

Groot and Rocket were helpin the kid lace into some boxing gloves, while the idiots helped Quill.

Rocket had asked Quill if he'd ever boxed before when he said this was his plan for intimidatin' Parker. When he'd replied no but he'd seen some guy named Rocky do it a thousand times, which he felt was the same thing, he'd called him an idiot.

"Words hurt, yah know."

"Yeah, so do knives."

"Is that a threat," he asked aghast.

"It's a fact!"

"Whatever, this is gonna work."

Rocket had rolled his eyes but couldn't think of a better idea.

"So, how do we do this," Parker asked them.

He and Groot looked at each other and shrugged.

"No idea, don't you just hit each other until one of you gets unconscious?"

"Ahh, no. I'm pretty sure there are rules and stuff. And the goal probably isn't to cause brain damage."

"Well, Quill definitely doesn't know that. So, you should probably watch your head…and face and chest. Nebula likes those bits." Rocket told him while shoving the padded helmet on.

"Wait, did Nebula say that. Or are you just assuming. Because she's never said spec-,"

"Ding! Ding!" Mantis yelled.

"Mantis, there's a real bell right there. You don't have to scream it," Quill told her in frustration.

Mantis looked around and found the bell, talking up the little hammer she hit it but still screamed, "Ding! Ding!"

They all rolled their eyes as the two Peter's slowly moved to the center of the ring.

"What made you want to box? Were you watching that old movie or something? Rocky?" Parker asked as they circled one another with their mitts raised.

"It's a great movie," Quill immediately defended.

"Yeah, it is," Parker dodged a punch easily. "I kind of like the new ones better, but those are classics." Parker gave a quick jab to Quill's shoulder.

"New ones?"

"Oh yeah, they're awesome. Rocky becomes the mentor for Apollo's son, yah know since he died and all." Quill thought he could take the kid by surprise while he talked, but he was too quick. Easily ducking and dodging whatever the older man threw at him, not even getting short of breath. Meanwhile, Quill was startin to huff and puff up a storm. He knew this was a bad idea. "They're pretty awesome. Nebula really likes them, especially the ones with the Drago's. We watched the newest one last time she was here."

"She likes them?"

"Yeah. I mean, she thinks Rocky's been hit in the head too many times, which is why he talks weird, but she likes them. She even wants to go to Phili and run up those stairs just like Stallone. I told her we'd go when I'm on spring break."

He and Groot shared a look. Parker was making plans for their future.

"What?!" Quill was outraged. "I tried to get her to watch those movies like a thousand times. She kept saying that they looked stupid." Quill glared at the kid and gave a hard swing that Peter easily ducked but served to through himself off balance. Parker gave a few rabbit punches to his lower back before stepping back to let him right himself. Wincing, "Why'd she watch them with you and not us?"

Rocket knew Quill was a little hurt.

Peter shrugged, "She probably didn't want you to see her cry," he mumbled.

"What?" Quill froze and lowered his hands. Peter took the opening and punched him square in the face. He stumbled back and covered his noise, cursing up a storm.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Time out, time out," he called from beneath his hands.

Parker stopped but said, "I don't think there are time outs, but it's cool if you need a minute."

Quill glared at Parker even though his tone gave no indication of mocking.

Drax and Mantis were laughing at him though.

He managed to straighten himself, his eyes still tearing. "She cries around you?"

"No," Parker replied unconvincingly. "Don't tell her I told you," he practically begged.

Drax barked out a hysterical laugh, "Ha, the she-devil cries! I cannot wait to laugh in her face at her patheticness!"

Rocket saw something he never thought was possible. Parker was pissed. He was glaring at an oblivious Drax. Mantis's antennae were rigid and glowing faintly, which usually meant someone was feeling a very powerful emotion. Rocket was pretty sure he knew what that feeling was.

Parker went over to the side and picked up the spare pads, he threw them at Drax.

"You're turn."

Still giggling, Drax put on the gloves, without realizing the danger he was clearly in. Quill stepped back and watched with wide eyes.

"Not only I will tell Nebula that bested her insect lover but also know that she weeps like an infant. She will be so embarrassed," he finished with a giggle, at the same time he finally got his gloves on.

Peter smiled darkly at Drax and immediately sent a right hook into his head. Drax stumbled to the side in surprise but didn't have a moment to recover before Parker unleashed a whirlwind of hits and punches to the large dumb alien.

The guardians even found themselves wincing and turning away from the brutal beating their crewmate was justly receiving. Drax, of course, didn't know when to quit. He kept trying to attack but was so dazed by Parker's onslaught that he was mostly swinging at air.

Parker finally gave Drax an uppercut, catching him squarely under his jaw- that they all heard a crack- and knocked him off his feet and flat on his back.

Peter barely breathing any harder, with only a few dots of sweat on his brow leaned over his fallen opponent.

"I win," he told the man. "You are never going to say a word about Nebula crying. To anyone. Ever. Got it?" Drax nodded. "Glad we could come to an understanding." The last part made terribly unsettling by the accompaniment of his normal wide innocent smile.

Parker practically leapt out of the ring and over to one of the Captain's old punching bags, nearly pummeling the thing to oblivion, trying to work out his continuing aggression.

Parker knew how they were, the guardians that is. He'd seen it for himself. If they weren't makin' fun of each other then they were callin each other morons. It was how they showed affection. But he also knew that Nebula hated lookin' vulnerable, even with them. And Drax was too stupid to know when to quit.

"Well that backfired," Quill said out loud while Mantis helped Drax up. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he immediately fell back onto the matt. Mantis kneeled at his side.

"You should probably just leave him there." Mantis looked at Rocket and then back down at Drax and shrugged. Getting up she walked towards them, stepping on Drax, who groaned, as she crossed the ring.

"What do we do now?" She asked, staring at them expectantly.

"I am Groot."

"That's the stupidest thing I ev'ah heard."

"I am Groot."

"Okay, yeah that was the stupidest thing. But this is a close second."

"I am Groot. I am Groot."

"So, what?"

"I am Groot."

Rocket and Groot stared at each other in silent contest until Rocket caved. He sighed and grumbled out a 'fine.'

Jumping down from his friends' shoulder, he approached the young Avenger who was working out his frustration.

"Hey, Parker."

"What?"

"Could yah stop for a second? You're makin me dizzy."

Huffing, "Why you guys have another test, or have you come up with another way to try and scare me off?" He said angrily.

Rocket sighed and took a seat on a nearby bench, waiting until Parker joined him.

"We weren't tryin scare you off…Not really. We're just worried. And we don't handle emotions well."

"Hadn't noticed," Parker snipped sarcastically.

"Shut up. It may not always seem like it, but we care about Nebula. She's part of the crew."

"She's family."

"Let's not get all mushy or whatevah. But kind of. You and Nebula been getting' kinda cozy and we wanted to- we thought- ugh shit."

"You wanted to make sure I wasn't going to hurt her."

"…Yeah."

To his surprise Parker snorted. "Everyone else is worried about her hurting me. They don't realize," he trailed off with a shake of his head.

He finished for him, "How fragile she is."

"Yeah." He paused before releasing a breath, "I worry about it too. Hurting her. I don't want to be just another person that let her down- made her throw up another wall."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you will be."

"Really?"

"Yes. Do us a favor though," Parker didn't immediately agree, "when Nebula eventually decides to stay, you'll take care of her."

Parker smiled wistfully, "You think she'd stay?"

"For you, kid, yeah I do. And for the ankle bitter." As if on que, Morgan ran into the gym squealing as Nebula chased after her. Catching up to the girl she picked her up and swung her around.

He glanced at Parker and saw him watching them with one obvious emotion on his face, love.

"Peter help me?!" Morgan squealed in laughter.

"Ha! No one can save you from Smurfette the great and powerful!"

Peter snorted and got up to join them. He turned back, "That thing you asked me to promise? I can do that." Rocket nodded in acknowledgement once before he ran over to the girls.

When Peter got his arms around Nebula's waist, she called out to Groot and tossed the girl into his arms. Morgan laughed as he spun and twisted her in the air. And soon Mantis was joining in on Parker's side and Quill was calling out unhelpful tips.

Rocket watched Parker nuzzle into Nebula's neck and tickle her sides. Yeah, they had nothing to worry about. The kid was screwed.