As Galaxy had predicated, the next step involved lots of yelling at Peter and Rocket. Galaxy had gone first. She had always been quick to anger, but it only took a minute or so of yelling for the majority of her anger to disappear. She had told Rocket that he was an idiot and she had seen raccoons on Earth that had more intelligence then he did, but as soon as Peter snickered at this, she turned her ire to him. She had shouted that he should have been ashamed of himself for allowing his ship to be damaged; as a leader, he should have been in control and protective instead of nearly getting them all killed because of his massive ego. After that, though, she deflated considerably. She was still angry, but she was no longer at a level of wanting to shout at anyone. With a glare at both Rocket and Peter that was much weaker than the one she had given them when she first started out, she sat down on a nearby tree-stump as Gamora started her own yelling.

Oddly enough, Nebula did not make a move to add in her own complaints. When Galaxy glanced over at her, she was surprised to see her leaning against the tree with an almost bored expression on her face. Nebula did roll her eyes at the dig Gamora made at Rocket and Peter; the dig, referencing how the two had thought with a very specific part of their body rather than their brain, was a bit immature, but Galaxy also completely agreed with it to the point that she refused to be annoyed by it the way Nebula was.

Like Galaxy, Gamora was not one to spend a lot of time yelling. Whenever she was angry, Gamora would yell at first, but then she would soften to a voice that was much calmer, yet somehow more terrifying. It was a lethally calm tone that reminded Galaxy of the stillness right before a giant summer storm when the air just crackled with the tension as everything hid away. That was the voice Gamora used when she corrected Peter for not taking the situation seriously when he made a joking comment about how he would have piloted perfectly with any body part, especially the one that Gamora had just referenced.

Even though Galaxy agreed with Gamora's comment, she still winced at it. Despite the joking comments and eye rolling from Peter, Galaxy could see the familiar signs of Peter's anger growing since she had yelled at him. His jaw was clenched, his shoulders were squared, and his arms were crossed and practically pressed into his chest. Even his jokes, as common as they were when he was in a normal state, were a familiar sign to Galaxy; ever since he was young, he had always used jokes to try and relieve some of the anger he was building up, but when that failed he would start to shout until everything had simmered down. This was why Galaxy wasn't surprised when Peter sharply turned towards Rocket with a harsh glare to yell, "More like because he stole the Anulax batteries!"

"They're called Harbulary batteries," Drax instantly corrected, but that went ignored save for the glares he was sent.

"You know why I did it, Star-Munch?" Rocket snapped, but received no answer as Peter clenched his jaw, "Do you?"

"I'm not going to answer to 'Star-Munch,'" Peter huffed through gritted teeth.

"I did it because I wanted to!"

For a moment, Peter just tilted his head to look at Rocket, but then he shook his head and snapped, "Dick."

Rolling his eyes at insult, Rocket turned to the others with an expression that screamed exasperation; it was clear he could not understand why they were fighting about his thieving, and a small part of Galaxy could understand why. The Guardians of the Galaxy were not known for being heroes in the traditional sense. They all had criminal records and were actively adding to them through various petty crimes like thieving. Plus, the people he had stolen from, the Sovereign, had blatantly insulted them. Rocket had not seen an issue with stealing from the Sovereign because to him, it was the same as any other crime.

Galaxy knew if there had never been a battle, the batteries would have been something they all would have laughed about, but that alternative future didn't matter anymore. There was a fight and they had nearly died in, and that was all because of Rocket. His reason for stealing didn't matter anymore because the consequences of his actions had been heavy. It was clear, however, that Rocket had not made this connection, and until he did and was able to apologize, the band of people Peter felt close to would continue fighting until something happened.

An apology was not coming anytime soon since Rocket had started to talk about a tiny man standing on a space craft who had saved them by destroying all the Sovereign. The topic felt like a deflection from the fight, and that just made Peter and Gamora frustration grow. Soon the entire group was arguing about this impossible tiny man when abruptly, Nebula jerked away from the tree she had been leaning on and harshly warned with her eyes on the sky, "Someone followed us through the jump point."

Everyone slowly looked up to see a huge, shiny white spaceship flying overhead. No matter how vicious their fighting had been just a few seconds earlier, it was clear the Guardians were a group when they fell back against each other with their weapons drawn. Uncertain, Galaxy drew herself nearer to Peter who instantly responded by pushing her into the middle of the ring-like shape the group had automatically arranged into. Even there, she remained by her brother; it would have made more sense for her to stand closer to Nebula who was tensely standing in the part of the ring further from mysterious ship, but there was something in Galaxy that had sparked when she had seen the ship. It felt the same way when the other children would bully her on the playground and she would go to her brother for protection, so she stayed by her brother with a hand on his shoulder.

"Give me a weapon. You'll need my help," Nebula said as the ship started to lower to the ground in front of them.

The instant denial from Gamora made Galaxy frown. She had assumed Nebula's weapons had been returned to her like Galaxy's own pocket knife, a gift from Ronan, that was stowed away in the pocket of her jeans; knowing that they weren't made a knot form in her stomach as she glanced at the lack of reaction from her brother at the denial. It was becoming clear to her that neither Gamora or Peter trusted Nebula, but did that include everyone connected to Ronan as well? She had always assumed that any concern in Gamora towards Nebula, Ronan, or herself would be calmed by her brother, but now Galaxy wasn't so sure.

For a moment, she thought about pushing the issue and demanding a weapon for Nebula, but the landing of the ship with a deafening noise made Galaxy keep her mouth shut. Everything could be dealt with later because for now, the occupants in the craft needed to think that they were all armed and prepared to use those weapons. Any weakness exposed could mean the difference between life and death.

A hatch came out of the bottom of the still-closed door of the craft, creating a pathway that would allow the occupants to walk straight up to the tense group. The door slid open and a man stepped out. He was humanoid in appearance with hair that was mostly gray but peppered with dark brown. His beard and eyebrows, however, were a deep, dark gray. His face was wrinkled, but Galaxy didn't think he looked tired or old. The first thing that came to Galaxy's mind was adventurous. His clothes, faded from use, added to the overall appearance of someone who had lived a full life. Over his shoulder, a younger female alien appeared. She was insect-like, with two antennas with lights at the end of them growing out of her forehead and her eyes were large and dark. Her dark green and black body suit was much more modern and sleeker than her companion's clothes.

After a brief glance at the female, however, Galaxy remained focused on the man. There was something about him that seemed to draw her to him, as if he had some sort of magnetic pull. When he smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners, she could barely suppress her own smile. He walked down the pathway, half-swaggering with a confidence that exploded out of him, until he was directly in front of Peter and the half-hidden Galaxy. When she met his gaze, he took a step back and his eyes darkened, "My god," he whispered, "You look-" overcome with some emotion, it took him a moment to recover. With a slight shake of his head, he focused in on Peter, but Galaxy could see and feel his gaze repeatedly dropping onto her even as he spoke, "After all these years, I've found you both."

"Who the hell are you?" Peter demanded angrily, but Galaxy could hear the fear buried in the question because she knew her brother well. Oddly enough, she wasn't afraid; even with the man's strange reaction towards her, the most negative emotion Galaxy could equate to the man was feeling unsettled. Of course, she tried to at least appear aggressive towards him, but she knew she was coming up short.

Thankfully, the open hostility from the rest of the group more than made up from the lacking attempt on Galaxy's part. The man was not put off by them; if anything, it made him smile wider. Casually, he titled his head up with that confidence Galaxy had seen when he walked down his pathway to them, "I figured my rugged good looks would make that obvious. My name's Ego, and I'm your dad Peter," he paused and then looked over at Galaxy, "and Ariel."

Night fell quickly on the planet that they were on. They had started a fire and the Guardians, Nebula, and Galaxy had sat down around it on one side. Across from them, Ego and the female, insect-like alien sat on the other side. No one in the Guardians group had wanted to split up from each other, but they all knew they needed the food that was still on their crashed ship. Rocket had been the one to go back into the wreckage and bring some out, but even with their hunger, no one on the Guardian's side made a move to eat.

The tension surrounding everything was unbearable to the point it felt choking. Galaxy was watching Ego carefully, trying not to betray the how much it bothered her every time he called her "Ariel." Few people outside of the Guardians, Ronan, and Nebula knew her actual name, and the idea that Ego was apart of that group made Galaxy very uncomfortable. She still felt those odd, warm feelings towards him, but she knew that she had to be cautious and go by her old name.

Ego had to notice how tense everyone was, but he acted as if it was nonexistent. He was heartily tearing at the food Rocket had give him, indulging in it as if it was the best meal he had ever had. Between his bites, he spoke about his struggles of finding his children, starting when they had been kidnapped by Yondu.

"I would have done it myself," he admitted, "but I was in the midst of an outlandish adventure at the time. Battling demonic forces to save this dimension or some such nonsense – I can't quite recall. It all bleeds together after a while," his tone had been mostly casual, but he leveled a serious look at the twins, "But instead of returning you two, Yondu kept you both. I have no clue as to why."

"He kept me because I was a skinny kid who could squeeze into places adults couldn't, making thieving easier," Peter answered automatically with more than just a hint of bitterness in his voice, "He didn't keep Ariel though."

"He sold me to Ronan's father," Galaxy explained with Ego turned to her with a surprised expression, "Peter and I grew up separately. We were only reunited a bit ago."

Ego shook his head and spat at the ground, "That son-of-a-bitch," he said darkly, "I've been trying to track the two of you down ever since. If I had known you were with Ronan, I would have found you when you were still a kid."

"I thought Yondu was your father," Drax said suddenly.

Blinking rapidly in confusion, Galaxy swung her head to look at Drax, only to see that his gaze was firmly on Peter who was just as confused as she was, "What?" Her brother spluttered out, "We've been together all this time and you thought Yondu was my actual blood relative?"

"You look exactly alike," Drax explained in a tone that implied that this similarity was obvious.

After Rocket quickly pointed out that Yondu was blue, Peter heatedly corrected Drax, "He wasn't my father. Yondu was the guy that abducted Ariel and me. He sold her and then he'd beat the crap out of me, so I'd learn how to fight. He kept me in terror threatening to eat me." Slowly, Galaxy placed her hand on Peter's arm. He had gotten more and more heated as he had spoken to Drax, and by the time he was done, he was breathing heavily. At her touch, he had jumped at first, but she could feel him calming with the silent reminder that those memories were in the past and that they were together.

Ego, however, did not calm down. He was already angry about Galaxy, and the summarization of Peter's childhood had only added fuel to the fire, "Eat you?!"

"Yes," Peter agreed.

Once again, Ego spat forcibly on the ground, "He's a real son-of-a-bitch."

"Why did you only find us now?" Galaxy asked. The question had burst from her in the silence that had started to fall around the campfire. It sounded a bit like an accusation to her own ears, and it made her eye Ego warily as she waited for him to react.

For a moment, Ego seemed to gnaw at the question, chewing it over deliberately and slowly. When he answered it, he looked at her as he spoke, and Galaxy watched as the anger softened from him, "Even where I reside, out past the edge of what's known, we've heard tell of the man they call Star-Lord and his sister," he said slowly.

Standing, he handed the empty dish of food to Gamora, who took it gingerly with one hand, while Ego's focus remained captivated by the twins as he spoke, "Say we head out that way now? Your associates are welcome, even that triangle-faced monkey there. I promise you, it's like no place you've ever seen. And there I can explain to you two your very special heritage and finally be the father I've always wanted to be," for a moment, Galaxy thought the man was about to cry, but he wiped at his nose with the back of his hand instead, "'Scuse me, I gotta take a whizz."

As soon as he was gone, Peter turned to Galaxy first, "You buying it?"

"I don't know-"

Before Galaxy could finish, her brother turned to Gamora, "Not buying it."

Gamora sighed, "Peter and…Ariel, we need to take a walk."

The trio got to their feet and walked away from the campfire and towards the crash Milano. Galaxy eyed her brother carefully, wondering what was going through his head. As Ego as spoken, Galaxy had felt as if this was the dream moment her brother had wanted as a child. An adventurous man saying that he was their father had shown up and was offering to actually be their father. It felt like it was too good to be true, and while Galaxy had felt some sort of connection to the man, she couldn't help but wonder how true those feelings were. Peter clearly didn't share those feelings. He was horrible at hiding his emotions and Galaxy had been watching him closely. He had been defensive, angry, and fearful for their safety when Ego had arrived, but those emotions had only given away to frustration and not the odd attraction Galaxy had felt.

His frustration remained bubbling inside until Peter finally burst out as soon as Gamora had indicated that they were out of Ego's earshot, "Give me a break! After all this time, and he just expects to be our dad all of the sudden!" He turned to look at Galaxy, "Don't tell me you don't feel that way too."

"It's very suspicious," Galaxy agreed, "He's only looking for us because you got famous. He hardly even knows who I am besides I'm your sister," she paused and then shook her head, "He couldn't even get my name right."

Nodding, Peter turned to Gamora, "This could be a trap," he pointed out to her, "The Kree purists, the Ravagers, now the Sovereign – they all want us dead."

"I know," Gamora agreed slowly, "but-"

"But what?"

"Peter, let her finish."

Gamora sent Galaxy the smallest nod of gratitude as Peter muttered an apology, "What was that story you to me about Zardu Hasselfrau?" In any other circumstances, the question would have made Galaxy burst out laughing. Even Peter, who was still very upset, had looked more than a bit amused when he asked Gamora who she was talking about. Eyeing their expressions carefully, Gamora rolled her eyes before she pressed on, "The wonderful television-singerman. He had a magic boat."

"David Hasselhoff?" Galaxy guessed. When Gamora confirmed her guess, Galaxy realized exactly where the story was going.

When Peter had been trying to fit in, he decided to get a picture of their father. Their mother had none, of course, so Peter turned to the magazines. Somehow, he had decided that David Hasselhoff was the perfect stand-in. He had excitedly explained his plan to Galaxy on the bus to school, showing her the photos he had cut out. Before Galaxy could warn him against it, he had stood up on the bus seat and had told everyone that their father was David Hasselhoff. All throughout the day, the other kids would come up to him and ask for proof or ask where Hasselhoff was, and Peter would either show them the pictures or tell them that he was off filming 'Knight Rider' or touring with his band in Germany.

Just as Galaxy had guessed, Gamora was bringing that story up; the details were fuzzy and needed to be filled in by Peter, but it still got the point across. When she was done, she took Peter's hand as she said earnestly, "I love that story."

"I don't," Peter said, though Galaxy noticed that he didn't withdraw his hand from Gamora's, "It's just sad. I was so sad because I'd see the other kids off playing catch with their dads, and I wanted that more than anything in the world," he paused and looked over at Galaxy, "You wanted that too, didn't you?"

Galaxy winced at the question, but she didn't argue against it. She just gave Peter a slow, tired nod that she knew would not make him press for more. Like her brother, she had felt anger and jealously towards all the other kids with fathers, but her primary want had just been to be normal. In the country community they had grown up in, a single mother trapped in the past who gave them odd snacks and took them on odd trips had been an isolating difference between Galaxy and her peers. For her, the lack of a father was only a symptom of the much larger struggle Galaxy had felt in her difference, and that meant her want for a father was less than the want her brother had always expressed. It was a disconnect that Peter was oblivious to, and Galaxy wasn't about to bring his attention to it now.

It had been obvious from the moment Ego had given his offer that Peter, and therefore Galaxy, would agree to going with him. Peter wouldn't waste that opportunity and Galaxy, though her want for a father wasn't as strong as her brother's, wasn't going to waste the chance either. She had wanted a father too, one that she could remember with the same palpable love that Gamora spoke about her own father. With the hint of tears in Gamora's eyes as she talked about her want to see her late father just one more time, Peter sighed and agreed to go and Galaxy added her agreement as well.

After all the internal struggle, Ego's reaction to their agreement was a let down. When the trio had returned to the campfire and gave him their answer, Ego just nodded, yawned, and said that it would be best to take off during the day.

Night had ended just as quickly as the day had, which meant that it was only about a few hours of sleep until it was bright. Groggily, the Guardians, Galaxy, Nebula, Ego, and the female insect-like alien started to prepare for the journey. Rocket and Groot would stay behind to repair the Milano while the rest of the Guardians would go along with Galaxy, Gamora, and Peter, but that still left Nebula. She had had a scowl on her face from the moment Galaxy had agreed to go with Ego, and that scowl only got worse when Galaxy drew Nebula away from the others to request that she remain with the Milano as well.

Nebula stared at Galaxy in a horrified silence that was almost comical in the sheer outrage she had, an outrage that made her shout, "You're leaving me with that fox?!"

Galaxy winced at the shout and waited until it was no longer ringing in the air before she explained herself. As odd as it was, Ronan was the reason she was requesting Nebula to stay behind; it was only a matter of time until he found out about the fight with the Sovereign, and Galaxy knew he would immediately track the Milano down. If he arrived at the crash without Galaxy and Nebula there, she knew he wouldn't listen to Rocket and go after the Sovereign himself in a mission that was suicide. If Nebula was at the crash, however, then Ronan's anger, which was really fear for her safety, would calm until she returned from Ego's planet.

Excluding the muttered comments, the glares, and the various frustrated sighs, Nebula didn't interrupt Galaxy's explanation. When it was finished, Nebula had paced back and forth for several moments before she turned to Galaxy with a harsh glare, "I will not be responsible for them," she snapped, "If anyone attacks us, I will not protect them."

"All you need to do is calm Ronan," Galaxy agreed quickly.

Though it was very, very clear Nebula was not pleased with staying behind, she relented by waving her hand in a clear dismissal. Not wanting to risk Nebula changing her mind, Galaxy quickly separated from her to join Gamora, Peter, and Drax. Upon her arrival, Drax tensed considerably, but Galaxy was far too used to his reaction to her presence to be bothered by it. As always, she just focused her attention on her brother and Gamora, who were both far more welcoming towards her.

Having just returned from the wreckage, Peter had retrieved his Walkman and had strapped it to his waist while the headphones hung around his neck. Grinning at her, he handed Galaxy her own Walkman as well and she held the familiar item tightly with a soft smile on her face. She had given it to Ronan before she had left, not wanting to risk the priceless object breaking, so if Peter had it then Ronan had taken the time to grab it for her along with the clothes for herself and Nebula.

"I replaced the batteries," Peter informed her with a shrug, "Figured you'd want it."

Wrapping an arm around his side for a half-hug, Galaxy moved away to strap the Walkman to the waist of her jeans. It was heavy and impractical, but the familiar weight was comforting. Holding up half of the headphones so that she could press one of the earpieces to her ear, she pressed the play button. She had listened to both mixtapes enough times to know the track orders by heart, so she knew without checking that the track playing was from Vol. 2. It wasn't however, the ELO song that started off the tape. Fleetwood Mac's The Chain, track four, was playing instead. The song's heavy lyrics, a want to break free from a chain that was keeping them together no matter how destructive it was for them, had stood apart from the other upbeat songs on the tape. She had always wondered why her mom had included it, but she didn't know if she liked the answer.

While watching the farewells play out between the Guardians of the Galaxy with the song playing over them, an uneasy knot settled in her stomach. Perhaps it was just the lyrics getting to her, but in that moment, Galaxy was horribly certain that the want to break all connection to each other while also being stuck was as present in the song as it was in the group in front of her. The realization made her take off the headphones and pause the track, but the unease remained. She was able to push past it, and by the time she, Peter, Gamora, and Drax walked up the pathway to the door of Ego's ship, her thoughts had nothing to do with the relationship of the Guardians.

As soon as the door slid open and Ego and the insect-like alien were revealed to be waiting for them, Galaxy could feel that same connection with Ego. It was why, when she walked past him and he pulled her into a half-hug, that she didn't fight his attempt. She could feel his heart beating very quickly, but she didn't think anything up it until after, from a whispering Gamora, did she found out that he looked heartbroken when he hugged her. That was in the future, however, and in the now, Galaxy brushed off the hug. It was odd, but who was she to decide what a normal father-daughter relationship was? She had hardly had any models, so for all she knew, it was normal the same way Ego's clasp on Peter's shoulder when he walked past was.

The thoughts about the hug were quickly thrown out the window when Galaxy took in Ego's spaceship. It was the same bright white, sleek material as the exterior, but when she brushed her hand along one of the walls, she was surprised at the warm, almost-organic feeling instead of the plastic-like one she had expected. Throughout the ship, there were various holes in the walls and the ceilings where yellow blobs floated lazily that reminded Galaxy of lava lamps. Her mother had had one and Galaxy would watch the blobs inside of it for hours, entranced by the way they broke apart and floated out of sight only to return as a giant blob once more.

For most the part, there was no furniture in the first part of the craft. Once everyone was inside, they were led to a seating room through a series of hallways. It had no doors to cut off the space, but Galaxy didn't feel exposed when she sat down on one of the seats. The seats themselves were surprisingly comfortable, and she quickly found herself relaxed, her back against the warm wall. Ego disappeared for a moment, and Galaxy felt the vibrations under her feet from the engine, but besides that there was no signal that they had taken off, yet when Ego came back, he informed them that they had begun their journey to his planet.

With the promise of a long flight ahead, he disappeared and then reappeared with tea for everyone. Galaxy had no idea what was in the tea, but she quickly fell in love with the flavor. It was at that perfect temperature where it was warm enough that the heat spread through your body, but it wasn't scalding. She supposed that she should have been more careful, and that Ego's casual, "I hardly remember," when Gamora asked about the ingredients of the tea should have been a warning to her, but Galaxy ignored it in favor of just enjoying the delicious drink her father, if he really was her father, had given her.

It made her frown when Ego announced that he was going to go and sleep, but she didn't say anything on the subject. Her eyes followed him as he left the seating area for a sleeping chamber that was across the way and somewhat hidden by various walls. She could barely see him stretched out on a slab, but she could see the female insect-like alien, her hand on his forehead. The lights at the end of her antennas lit up, and Galaxy could see that whatever she did relaxed Ego's body and made his breathing deepen and slow as he went to sleep.

Galaxy tore her gaze from the display to look at her brother. He had long since taken off his headphones and was sitting with a piece of paper in his lap. When Galaxy narrowed her gaze to get a better look, she could just make out familiar curly brown hair. It took her a minute, but when she did realize that the picture in her brother's hands was of David Hasselhoff, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Despite all the things that had changed in his life, it was clear to Galaxy that Peter was still deeply connected to that little boy who wanted his father.

Ego proved to be right about the flight. Though it was clear that his ship was far more advanced than anything the Guardians or Galaxy had ever seen, there was only so much technology could do about time. While Ego's ship certainly made their current flight shorter than it would have been on the Milano, that didn't necessarily mean the flight was short.

At first, Galaxy had napped. She had placed the Walkman earphones over her ears, restarted the mixtape, and turned down the volume so that the upbeat songs became relaxing. At some point, she had started to use Peter's shoulder as a pillow, and while it wasn't the most comfortable position, she still was able to fall asleep and remain that away for some time.

When she woke up a few hours later, she was formally introduced to the mysterious insect-like alien. Her name was Mantis, and Galaxy instantly deemed her as sweet and naïve. Drax had already started to use her naivety to make jokes at her expense, but Mantis, so clueless about others, laughed loudly at the jokes.

A bit thirsty and hungry after her nap, Galaxy smiled at a few of the jokes before she left to the kitchens. There, she found Gamora standing with her own cup of tea and a pensive look on her face. She didn't react to Galaxy's presence, lost in thought, until Galaxy asked, "What's wrong?"

Gamora glanced around the kitchen, but despite it being empty, her voice was still a whisper when she spoke, "Ego's face when he hugged you bothered me. He looked like he was heartbroken."

Galaxy frowned and looked down as she tried to replay the hug from Ego, "His heart was beating really fast," she remembered. She looked up at Gamora with a frown of her own. "Maybe he was just sad because he didn't have a lot of time with me?"

Her suggestion was not convincing in the slightest, and it was clear that Gamora had not been convinced by it. She shrugged and looked down at her own tea and the kitchen fell silent for a couple of minutes until Gamora looked up from her tea to announce that she was going to return to the others. The unease Gamora was feeling made it go without question that Galaxy would go with her.

Upon arriving in the seating area, it was clear that Peter and Drax were in good moods. Drax announced that he and Peter had a bet about the purpose of Mantis' antennas.

"I say that if you're about to go through a doorway that is too low, your antennas will feel this and stop you from being decapitated," Drax informed Mantis who touched her antennas with a child-like frown.

"Just making it clear – if it's anything else – any other answer – I win."

Galaxy couldn't help but smile at the prideful look on Drax's face. It was so funny to see him so sure about something when it was obviously wrong. When Mantis informed them that her antennas were not for feeling doorways, Drax's face fell in dismayed shock. "I think they have something to do with my empathic abilities," Mantis suggested.

"What are they?" Galaxy asked. She had felt Gamora stiffen next to her, standing against the wall with her as the bet played out in front of them, but it was so hard for Galaxy to look at Mantis and not certain that the alien would never harm someone. It would be impossible for her to fake such naivety.

"If I touch someone, I can feel their feelings," Mantis answered.

Now Peter stiffened as well, "You read minds?"

"No. Telepaths know thoughts. Empaths feel feelings. Emotions." Almost like a puppy, she cocked her head to the side as she faced Peter, "May I?" When Peter made no sign of protest, she cautiously reached out and touched his hand. Galaxy could see Mantis' hand quivering from this small, simple contact, and her antennas lit up like they had when she was by Ego's side.

"You feel…love," Mantis breathed.

"Yeah, I guess, yeah. I have sort of a general, unselfish love for everyone," Peter said with a nervous laugh.

"Yes," Mantis agreed, "a love for a sibling is there. But beyond that, there's romantic, sexual love."

"No. No, I don't."

Ignoring his protests, Mantis turned and nodded to Gamora, "For her."

Galaxy could feel her own smile and see the smallest smile Gamora had and Peter's blush at the reveal from Mantis, but the true reaction was Drax. He took one look at the two of them, started to roar with laughter, and asked Mantis to do him as well. When she touched his hand, she grinned brightly. "I have never felt such humor," she said and then dissolved into hysterical laughter that Drax quickly added to.

Peter started to grumble protests, which made Galaxy giggle as well. She could feel the death-glare Gamora was sending her, but that didn't stop Galaxy from giggling at the expense of her brother and her friend. If Gamora had actually been bothered by the emotions she would have stopped, but the small smile on Gamora's face, as faint as it was, was all the proof Galaxy needed to safely giggle while knowing that Gamora felt the same way about her brother.

She was still giggling as Mantis, wiping at the tears from her hysterical laughter, got to her feet and reached out to find out Gamora's emotions, but Gamora's hand was far quicker and it trapped Mantis' clothing-covered one as she warned, "Touch me, and the only thing you're going to feel is a broken jaw."

Not needing to be told twice, Mantis backed away from Gamora. She briefly turned her large eyes onto Galaxy, but a quick shake of her head made Mantis nod, smile, and turn back to Peter and Drax. "I can also alter emotions, to some extent," she revealed.

"Like what?"

Mantis swung her gaze onto Peter as she answered his question, "If I touch someone who is sad, I can ease them into contentment for a short while. I can make a stubborn person complaint. But I mostly use it to help my Master sleep." For the first time, Galaxy saw a frown grow on Mantis' face as the alien's gaze fell on the still sleeping Ego, "He lies awake at night, thinking about his progeny."

Galaxy felt a heat flood through her, and she looked over at Ego as well. Had he really cared about her and her brother so much that he lied awake at night thinking about them? Maybe her suggestion in the kitchen was actually right, and Ego had looked heartbroken because it had made him sad to know all the time he had missed. She looked away from Ego to take in her brother's reaction. He looked just as touched as she felt.

When he felt his gaze on him, he looked up so that their eyes met. Deliberately, Peter gave Galaxy a small smile. The expression meant more than just showing that he was happy, it was also to display his emotions about Ego. Within only a few hours, Peter had warmed up a lot to Ego, and Galaxy could feel herself doing the same.

She was abruptly pulled from her thoughts by a loud crash and a sudden snore. The source of the noise was quickly apparent, and she took in the sleeping Drax and the guilty expression on Mantis' face. Drax must have asked Mantis to put him to sleep, and the sudden change of consciousness had sent him collapsing backwards. Even with the fall, he was still snoring periodically and asleep, and a glance towards the sleeping chamber told Galaxy that Ego was still asleep as well. Perhaps it was nonsense, but she couldn't help but wonder if Ego and Drax shared the same issue of lying awake and thinking about their children. Though she wasn't a fan of Drax, the idea made her hope that he would be able to have some peaceful nights, just as she hoped that Ego, with herself and Peter in his life, could sleep peacefully as well.

I am so sorry this is late! A lot of stuff has been going on with picking out college and getting ready for AP exams, so I was super busy this week and wasn't able to edit anything until tonight. Despite the last minute editing, I'm actually pretty happy with how this chapter turned out. There's a lot of stuff getting build up here that will come back later, so it's a pretty important chapter even if nothing plot-wise happens.

There's not much else to really say, so review time:

importchic: Thank you! I'm glad that you're liking it so far.

As an important note, if you leave any spoilers in the reviews for Endgame I will be incredibly pissed. I, and many people, have not seen in it yet. Remember: #DontSpoilTheEndgame! See y'all next week!