Chapter 4: So Caught Up in You, Little Girl
"Alright, Aria. Say 'Dada'."
"Mama?"
"No, not Mama. Dada!"
"I yam Gwoot."
Peter let out an exasperated laugh. "Kid, that better be Groot for 'Dada.' Let's try it again, ready? Da…"
"Mama!" The toddler exclaimed, pointing at the door as her mother walked in.
"Hi, munchkin!" Gamora cooed, walking over and sitting crosslegged on the floor next to her daughter. Peter was laying on his stomach, raising an exaggerated eyebrow at his wife.
"No fair. She's playing favorites!"
"She is not!" Gamora said, pulling Aria into her lap. "Watch. Ari, do you wanna show Daddy what we were working on?"
"Ya!"
"Okay. Say 'Starlord'"
"Stwar lor!"
Peter's entire expression melted as he sat himself up, taking his daughter in his arms.
"That's my girl." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as Gamora watched them fondly. Aria reached up and lightly squeezed her father's nose.
"Dada."
"Oh, now she gets it." Peter remarked with a joking eye roll. Gamora smiled at them before leaning in to give Peter a kiss.
"Told you."
Later that night; Peter was sitting comfortably in his recliner, music pouring into his ears and his daughter sitting contently on his lap. As the song changed, Aria perked up and began to exclaim.
"Ah! Ah!" She exclaimed, trying to get her father's attention.
"What is it, munchkin?" Asked Peter, taking off his headphones.
"Oka Cha!" She said, pointing to the Zune in his hand.
"Ogga Chaka?"
She nodded, pointing up to the headphones around his neck.
"I gotcha, kiddo." He said, placing the headphones gingerly on top of her head. (They were too big for her, so he had to keep his hands pressed gently to the sides of her temple to keep them on.)
"I-I-I'm…hooked on a feeling!"
The toddler broke out into a huge smile, and started bobbing her head eagerly to the beat. (Which her father imitated) Peter couldn't help but smile at his little girl, who was already so much like him.