I'm back! Endgame was awesome, and actually made me inspired to write. Rocket was adorable in it lol

I'm actually thinking of doing a rewrite after I'm finished with this fic, where Lylla is present for both IW and Endgame. Let me know in the comments/reviews if you'd be interested in that!

Speaking of Lylla, did any of you guys see the rumors about her showing up in Vol3 as Rocket's love interest?! I'm freaking out!

Anyway, hope y'all enjoy!

Lylla would often find herself falling into deep thought when she had nothing better to do. The otter would be thinking about what she would eat for Lunch, and a few minutes later, it would be three am. Of course, this trait was only accelerated by the situation she had gotten herself into. She found herself falling deeper and deeper into her own mind each day; with her thoughts straying towards darker subjects than usual.

Lylla liked to think she was pretty optimistic person; always looking on the bright side of dire situations (and when you travel across the Galaxy with a person like Rocky, you tend to get into those a lot.) However, being kidnapped by Aleta's clan was a bit too much for the otter. It wasn't being knocked out with a stun gun that was, of course, twice her side that did it; or even being locked in a cell for over two weeks with nothing to eat or drink. It was the inescapable fear of them that made her chest rise and fall at a quickened pace. Those people that were sadistic enough to look at a creature like her and feel inspiration to do something so horrible, so fearful. Lylla couldn't remember much of her life before being Uplifted, but from the small moments she could remember, she knew it was beautiful. The images of the den she shared with her mother and siblings, the twinkling of a lazy river; and the feeling of warm water on her fur as she glided along the surface. Everytime she thought of said memories, an aching feeling would run through her gut. She wanted to call the feeling homesickness, but she knew it wasn't the right word. Afterall, you can't miss what you can't remember.

When the Ravagers got a hold of Lylla, yelling at her about some sort of bounty; she grew panicked. As far as she knew, she hadn't been doing anything wrong. Logically, there was no reason for her to have a bounty on her head… well, other than one. The scientists that made her might still be searching for their little lab rat. The thought itself made her feel nauseated, even though at the time she had nothing in her stomach to throw up.

So when she got dragged off that ship, away from her captors, (and low-key friends at this point. She was actually starting to like Aleta and her crew,) Lylla was ready for a fight.

What she didn't expect however, was the Guardians of the freaking Galaxy.

Lylla jumped at the sudden sounds echoing down the ship's corridor; that of which were now echoing into the small guest room she sat in. She recognized the melody of Terran music, and a small smile came to her face. When she was researching into her own history, she had managed to stumble over the Terran's as well. They had some funny traditions, but their music was good. At least, she thought it was better than the stuff they played where she came from.

Good or not, the music certainly helped her wake her up from her daydream.

Is it morning already? I guess I really wasn't lying when I said I didn't feel like sleeping.

Lylla stood up, letting out a soft yawn, before arching her back to crack it. It hurt, but the otter found she had to do it each morning or her cybernetically enforced spine would creak all day. It was annoying to say the least.

The music became significantly louder when she opened her door, causing her ears to fall back against her head. A faint murmur of voices was coming down the hall; the same one the Zen-Whoberian, Gamora, has led her down the night before. Lylla adjusted her jade Ravager suit (which only reminded the otter she really needed a new one,) before walking down towards the noise.

When she entered the room from last night, which she guessed was the main communal room, the sudden scent of burnt food wafted under her muzzle. She wrinkled her round black nose, letting out a soft cough, before slowly continuing into the room; now covering her face with her furry elbow.

Luckily, since the area was much larger than the other rooms on the ship, the smoke was spread out across the space. A circular table stood in the middle of the room, while the walls were bare; save for the various pipes and other mechanical parts that protruded from the ship. The table was set with cream coloured dishes, most of which were severely scratched and chipped.

These look just like the plates the guards on Aleta's ship would give me for my sparse dinner. These a little more dirty, but definitely the same colour. Lylla climbed up on a chair to inspect the set table, her paw ghosting over the rusted silverware. I suppose that makes sense. This is a Ravager ship afterall.

"Shit!"

Lylla quickly jumped off the table, her eyes searching the room for the source of the noise. Across the hallway from where she walked in, was another doorway. Not only was it the clear source of the curse, but also the smoke.

Sounds like that Terran guy from yesterday.

The otter frowned, before quickly making her way over to the doorway and stepping in; her elbow still planted firmly over her nose

This room was clearly the kitchen, which Lylla had guessed already thanks to the smell. It was small, with the same dark grated floor and bumpy walls as the rest of the ship. The counters and shelves were a light copper, and they would've been pretty if it weren't for the various burn and knife marks. However, the area was surprisingly clean, much to Lylla's delight; that of which could not be said for the rest of the ship.

The Terran stood in front of the stove, cursing quietly to himself as he tried to scrape what appeared to be an egg off a pan. Smoke steadily rose from his cooking, which caused Lylla's eyes to water.

Peter, who's name she had just remembered, groaned in frustration; before taking the pan and dropping it into the sink. He quickly poured water on it, which quickly made the smoke stop.

That's one small victory. Lylla thought, slowly removing her hand from her face. It still smelled disgusting, but at least the source of said smell was dealt with.

Quill leaned his hands on the counter, letting out an annoyed sigh. She watched in amusement, taking another step into the room.

At the noise of her claws against the grated floor, Peter hung his head and shook it softly, an annoyed chuckle leaving his lips, "Before you even start, Rocket. I'd like to say I doubt you could do better."

"Trust me when I say he couldn't. Cooking was never his forte"

The Terran jumped, quickly turning so his back was to the counter; his blue eyes blown wide.

"Oh, it's you."

"What helped you figure that out?" She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side in amusement.

Peter snickered, "You are definitely not a grumpy raccoon and, well, your voice. I mean, I'd be kinda worried if Rocket suddenly sounded like… that." He gestured to her.

Lylla snorted, a small smile making its way to her face. This guy is ridiculous.

"Um, let me try this again." Peter decided with a nod. "Good Morning, Lily-"

"It's Lylla-"

"That's...what I said." Flustered, he cleared his throat. "Good morning, Lylla. I was just making some breakfast for you. Or, uh, trying to."

The otter's eyes widened, and her arms that she had crossed over her chest slowly unraveled, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, is that bad?"

"Oh, no. It's just… do you make breakfast for every random girl you pick up?" She asked sincerely, touched at the gesture.

Peter snorted, "Well, I used to, but Gamora would kill me if I started doing that again." He shrugged, a smirk on his face. "Although, I will say I don't usually burn everything I touch. Just not used to this ship, or its oven."

Lylla paused, nodding, before looking back up at him, "Then what makes me different?"

"Well, Rocket said you'd be hungry after everything that happened yesterday," He turned back to the sink, slowly removing the pan, "And I wanted to make a good first impression."

"Why?"

"It's good to have friends all over the place. Not to mention the plethora of embarrassing stories you probably have about the angry furball."

"So you're doing this to blackmail Rocket?" She raised a brow.

"No! No, of course not-" He glanced down at her, meeting her suspicious glare. "-Okay, you got me. It was Groot's idea."

Lylla couldn't help but smile, a soft chuckle escaping her, "I'll think about it."

"Good enough." Peter grinned, turning back to the pan. He couldn't help but jump when she climbed up on the counter beside him; her head only slightly taller than his shoulder.

"You sure you wanna try again? Haven't you sacrificed enough eggs today?" Lylla joked, looking at the half empty carton that laid beside the stove.

Peter snorted, "What, you think you could do better than me?"

"Yeah, I really do."

The Terran paused, before groaning, "Ugh, fine. I'll let you do the eggs, and I'll make the fruit salad."

Her ears perked, her stomach suddenly feeling very empty, "Sounds delicious."

"Yeah, and it better taste delicious too. I don't think I could handle a bunch of angry, hungry maniacs today."

Lylla snorted, before carefully picking up one of the purple shelled eggs. Now, lets see if I remember how to do this...

Rocket woke up, yet again, to Peter's obnoxiously loud music. Why can't he just listen to it like a normal person?! I knew humie's ears are bad, but they can't be that bad! It helped Quill's case that the song happened to be playing was currently one of Rocket's favorites, (Supersonic Rocket Ship by The Kinks), but it still grated on the raccoon's nerves.

Knowing there was no chance of ever going back to sleep, he sat up in his small cot, the fur on the side of his face pressed flat from curling up. He brushed his fingers through it to fix it quickly, before hopping off the bed. He rolled up his jumpsuit, which was unzipped to his waist and tied around him (he liked to have it on while he slept, just in case of an emergency,) and pulled it back on. Rocket yawned, before beginning to gently massage the metal brackets under his skin. They got irritated easily when he was still for too long, which was a big pain in the ass. Figuratively and literally.

He grimaced in pain as he stretched his arms and legs, the unpleasant tingling of electric shock erupting across his back.

Gotta fix that. He thought to himself, letting out a soft groan.

"Let me take you on a little trip,

my supersonic ship's at your disposal

If you feel so inclined. Well alright.

Nobody's gonna travel second class,

there'll be equality

And no suppression of minorities. Well alright.

Let me take you on a little trip,

on my supersonic rocket ship."

Rocket couldn't help but hum to the lyrics while unlocking his bedroom door, following the familiar sound of Peter's singing down the hall.

The table was, surprisingly, set up; bowls of food sat in the middle so you could serve yourself.

Quill really wasn't kidding about making breakfast. Rocket snorted, before ripping his eyes away from the table, and around the room. Groot sat in his bean bag chair in the corner, his posture uptight and his eyes glued to his game. Sitting beside him the floor, was Lylla, who watched him with a clear look of curiosity and confusion.

He couldn't help but stop and admire her. The way her sandy coloured fur was still ruffled from sleeping, and how her pale green eyes inspected the device in Groot's hands; just being around his old flame was enough to make his heart beat faster. Barf.

"Wait, so you're just supposed to avoid the obstacles that those dots throw at you?" She asked, leaning closer to the teenager to see the screen.

Groot, glanced down at the otter, before quickly back at his game; Rocket could only describe his expression as flustered. I swear if that little sap gets feelings for her...

"I am Groot."

The light in Lylla's eye died down, and a frown made a way to her face, "Oh, I'm sorry. I can't understand-"

"I am Groot." This time, the tree nodded as well, giving her an understanding smile; his look reminded Rocket of Old Groot, and the innocent grins he would give to him. A familiar ache made its way up his throat, and it had nothing to do with his cybernetics.

Lylla smiled back at Groot, gently patting his shoulder, before looking up; meeting Rocket's gaze. She paused, before a small friendly smile came to her face, and she opened her mouth to talk.

"Hi-"

"I now declare, that breakfast is officially... done!" Peter walked out of the kitchen, a large bowl of cut up fruit in his hands. He grinned, as if he was a kid showing his parents a bug he had caught. He put it down in the middle of the table.

"Oh, hey Rocket." He smiled. "Glad to see you're up to enjoy my delicious meal."

The raccoon rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "Y'know, the only reason I'm awake right now is because you're blasting your d'ast music!"

"You know you like it."

"Quill, I swear to-"

"Is that what I think it is?" A voice with a familiar southern drawl to it echoed from down the hall. A few seconds later, Kraglin emerged, a bright grin on his face as he looked at the display on the table "Ooh, Pete, you really shouldn't have!"

Peter smiled proudly, "Xandarian Grashroot, cut up just for you, buddy."

"Of course it's just for him, nobody else will eat it. Tastes like shit."

Kraglin ignored Rocket, his bright smile staying on his face as he sat down at the table and began to dig in. With that, everybody began to sit down as well; Gamora, Mantis, and Drax emerging from their rooms a few minutes after Kraglin showed up.

"Oh shit, there's not enough seats." Quill cursed, giving Lylla a guilty glance. Everybody had sat down, except for Lylla, who stood a few steps away from the table.

"Oh, it's okay. Making breakfast was nice enough as is." She gave him a grateful look. "I'll just take my plate and eat down here."

"On the floor?"

"I'm used to it."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm letting you do that." Rocket suddenly remarked with a huff.

Lylla turned to him, frowning, "Why not? You all have your seats obviously, and I'm just the guest so-"

"Exactly, you're the guest. We ain't being good hosts."

"Dude, no offense, but when have you ever cared about good courtesy?" Peter butted in.

Rocket turned to face Peter so quickly that a soft creak from his cybernetic spine echoed throughout the room, "Ever since my girl is being forced to eat on the floor like some sorta dog!"

Silence fell over the room, and tension grew expemetionaly. Kraglin coughed awkwardly.

"...Lylla, why don't you share a chair with Rocket? There is enough room for the both of you." Gamora calmly stated, breaking the silence. Peter nodded in agreement, still surprised at Rocket's outburst.

Lylla paused, before sighing, and jumping up onto Rocket's chair. She huffed in annoyance, before beginning to spoon a gracious annount of food on her plate. The raccoon noticed, and frowned.

"What's up with you?"

Lylla snorted, before continuing quietly, "My girl? Seriously?"

"Oh boy…" Quill muttered, knowing where this was going. He had dealt with it himself numerous times with Gamora.

"Hey, cut me some slack! I got you sitting up here with us adults, didn't I?"

"And you used an outdated nickname to do so. What else are you gonna call me? Dollface? Sweetie? Angel? Lady?"

"Fine, I slipped up. Sue me!" Rocket rolled his eyes. "Besides, I remember you saying you didn't mind me calling you any of that stuff."

"...I don't think the little creature has any basis to legally-'

"Shut up Drax."

"Just because I said I didn't mind it then, doesn't mean I don't mind it now." Lylla scoffed, before continuing. "I doubt you'd like being called-"

Lylla paused, before glancing at Peter, "What did you call him?"

"Uh… a raccoon?" Quill replied, looking sheepish; clearly uncomfortable that he was now thrusted into their argument

The otter turned back to Rocket, continuing, "I doubt you'd like it if they started calling you Rocket Raccoon, Rocky Raccoon, or whatever raccoon!"

"Hey! That's a low blow."

"Well, your girl apologies." Lylla hit back, her voice sickly sweet, before immediately turning back to her food.

The Guardians (plus one) ate for a few minutes in silence after the argument, which was extremely out of character for them.

"Did you… sleep well, Lylla?" Gamora asked softly, finally breaking the tension that had quickly grown in the room.

"Oh, not really, no." The otter shrugged, her shoulder gently brushing against Rocket's, while her eyes were glued to her plate. At the touch, she immediately moved to the edge of the seat so it wouldn't happen again. Rocket noticed, which only worsened his mood. "I wasn't tired."

"I see." Gamora nodded. "It would be best for you to get some rest then. I'm sure Mantis would help you if you can't by yourself."

Mantis' straightend her back in attention, her large black eyes falling to Lylla; a surprisingly comforting smile falling onto her face.

"I would not mind assisting you." She chirped cheerfully. Rocket rolled his eyes, glancing at Lylla.

"Yeah, I'd definitely not recommended you do that. Bugeyes has a terrible habit on snooping around in ya brain when she offers said help." He snorted, crossing his arms over his armoured chest, before leaning back in his chair. The otter's eyes flicked over to him, reading his grumpy expression with ease. Lylla paused, before turning her attention back to Mantis, who seemed to shrink under her gaze.

"It's because you're an Empath, right? I recognize your species. You have the power to feel another's emotion when you touch them, as well as alter said emotions if needed."

"That is correct!"

"How do you know that?" Peter asked, eyebrows raised, "Just curious."

"I was cybernetically engineered to be a nurse. My creators, ever so cautiously, determined giving me information on many of the known species in the Universe would be beneficial. Just in case they needed me to fix up a…" She looked around the room, before gesturing to Groot, "A Flora Colossus! It may be rare, but they'd rather be safe than sorry."

"A nurse, eh? So you must know it's important that you, y'know, actually get some rest? You passed out yesterday from dehydration and malnutrition."

Lylla paused, before nodding softly, "I… suppose. Thank you for the offer, Mantis. I'll gladly accept."

Rocket huffed in time with Mantis' giddy laugh. Of course she didn't take my advice.

"It has been awhile since I have been asked for help! I am very excited."

"Finish your food first, Manny." Quill gestured to her full plate. Mantis nodded, and began to politely finish her meal.

Lylla glanced down at her own plate, which was filled with a mix of fresh fruit and bacon. The fruit is fine, but the meat is to die for! Her eyes fell to Rocket's, and a soft, nostalgic smile came to her face.

"You still don't like Grashroot, I see."

Rocket jumped at her voice, not expecting her warm breath to be so close to his ear after she had moved away; he was currently trying to seperate all of the small green pieces of Grashroot from the rest of the fruit. He shivered softly, his ears flicking back.

"What can I say, it'll always taste like shit."

Surprisingly, Lylla began to chuckle; her paw withdrawing from her fork to cover her growing grin. Rocket couldn't help but smile as well, the corners of his mouth angling upwards.

"Hey!" Kraglin spluttered from across the table, his cheeks full of the green fruit. "I'll have y'all know, Grashroot is great!"

"Yeah, great for target practice. They're always super cheap since, y'know, they're disgusting."

"Y-You're disgusting!"

Unable to continue eating because of her giggles, Lylla pushed her plate back and hopped off the chair. Mantis, as if on cue, stood up as well.

"Thank you for the meal, Peter."

"Eh, no trouble at all. I appreciate your help." He leaned back in his chair, giving her a charming smile.

"Kiss ass…" Rocket muttered under his breath.

Lylla smiled back, successfully ignoring Rocket, before heading back down the hall; Mantis on her tail.

Rocket tried, but couldn't smear the stupid grin off his face; as well quench the stupid tingling feeling in his stomach. Something must be wrong with my servos. He told himself, his ears flattening back against his head.

"Rocket, as soon as Lylla wakes, you must speak to her." Gamora interupted his thoughts, her glare killer. "You promised you would."

"Ugh, fine, whatever. Get off my back." Rocket's smile immediately fell, and with a flick of his eyes, he jumped off the chair as well, leaving behind an almost full plate of food. "I'm heading to the engine room."

Peter's gaze followed the raccoon as he left the room, before swiftly falling to his own plate of food. "...Rocket Raccoon is a pretty cool superhero name, to be honest." Peter muttered to himself, picking the Grashroot out of his own salad.

Gamora scoffed, flicking the back of his head.

"Thank you again for helping me, Mantis." Lylla looked back at the sheepish girl, closing the door to the guest room behind her.

"It is no problem. I enjoy making my fellow teammates comfortable."

"Well, I'm not exactly you're teammate."

"Yes, but like Rocket said, you are our guest!" Mantis began to take off her gloves, setting them carefully on the bedside table.

Lylla smiled softly, jumping up on the cot, "I suppose he did."

Mantis nodded, sitting down politely beside her. Lylla's legs hanged off the side of the bed, while the insectoid's feet were planted firmly on the ground. That's size difference for 'ya.

"So, how does this work? You're supposed to touch me, right?"

"Correct." Her hands, previously clasped together on her lap, untangled themselves. Mantis hesitated, before gently laying one of her soft, pale hands on Lylla's fluffy shoulder. Immediately, the ends of her antennae began to light up; an unsure frown spreading across her face.

"I can understand why you could not sleep. You feel… many conflicting emotions."

"Uh huh?"

"You are happy to see Rocket again, yet at the same time you are upset with him." Mantis paused, "And at the same time as well as that, you feel comfortable with us... yet you are scared."

"...but?" Lylla leaned closer towards Mantis, her eyes wide.

"But," She confirmed, her frown softening, "Most of all, you feel… love."

Lylla nodded, leaning back, chuckling softly, "Yeah, I guess so. Peter was pretty nice to make breakfast like he did-"

"No. Romantic, sexual love."

"W-what?"

Mantis' large eyes opened, her cheeks tinted a soft green; her grin widening. "You love Rocket!"

"Uh-"

"But, I do not understand. If you love him, then why do you fight?" Mantis' smile fell, being replaced with the curious yet concerned frown from before.

"You mean the stuff during breakfast?" She paused, before continuing when she saw the taller women's nod. "I wouldn't exactly call that a fight. Even back in the days, when we were closest, Rocky and I would always talk like that. It's kinda how'd we flirt." Although, back then, I remember him being much more charming when said 'fights' took place.

"Ooh, so you were flirting?"

Lylla felt hot under her fur from the questioning, "Not exactly…I'm pretty sure that was a genuine disagreement."

"Oh." Mantis pulled away, her antennae drooping slightly. "I am sorry to hear that."

"Yeah… me too."

Mantis looked back up, meeting her gaze. It was clear she wanted to say something, but was unsure if it was appropriate. Lylla nodded, silently comforting her.

The women swallowed, her gaze falling to her hands. "I...do not need to touch Rocket to know he likes you too." An unsure smile spread across her face. "It may take some time, but I am sure you will once again be flirting like you used to."

Lylla couldn't help but smile at the thought. However, she couldn't help but have doubts. I'm just...unsure if that's what I truely want, or what he truely wants for that matter. He seems happy without me, with his new family. "Thank you, Mantis."

"You are very welcome."

They fell into a surprisingly comforting silence as Lylla laid down in her cot. She grimaced as she repositioned herself, before finally deciding sleeping on her stomach was the least painful option. She pulled her long tail close to her self, before letting out a soft sigh; pulling the light blanket up to her chin.

"Are you ready?" Mantis asked, standing up. The otter nodded.

"You should wake up in a few hours," She leaned forward, gently pressing her hand against Lylla's forehead, "Have a good rest."

She couldn't remember much after that. Only softness and warmth.

Lowkey filler but I hope you enjoyed anyway. Next chapter is where it gets crazy!

Please fav, follow, and review! Reviews especially help so much. Thanks for reading! :)