Peter
Man, either our vacancies have been unintentionally switched or The Collector is super rich.
The apartment was new. Very new. It looked like it had been finished last week. It looked almost too new in some strange way. It was as if it had rolled off a production line, but they had forgotten that it was only an apartment and not some millionaire's bedchambers.
There were five extremely furnished bedrooms, one for each of us. Rocket and Groot had to share a room back in the Milano. There were also three bathrooms. In the Milano there was one. And you could also sit down anywhere you liked without putting a seat belt on all the time.
One wall was made of a holographic glass to expose a glamorous garden outside. Tangled thickets of thorn, flower beds and bushes, knotted boughs, and branches were drooped dankly from the view inside. The sky was painted with a vibrant violent colour, showing a faint display of the impressions of different planets, indicating that it was already evening.
There was everything here.
"You know Rocket, I don't think I mind that you crashed my ship." I say, studying the high rise ceiling with disbelief.
"I don't either." Rocket replied, and set his crate of belongings (which mainly consisted of mechanics and bombs,) down at a vacant table. I have decided that, that table is officially Rocket's mechanics table and if anyone but himself, with the exceptions of Groot, touched his table I don't think it would go down well.
Groot studied the flora and vegetation outside, regenerating flowers that have drooped or were drained in colour.
Drax watched Rocket viciously slam metallic parts against the iron table, muttering words to himself and then screw other parts together. Drax raised a brow and backed away slowly.
Gamora was out of sight, and possibly retiring in her own room. I couldn't blame her. What a day. First I had that strange nightmare, and it took almost hours to look for The Collector, and then Rocket goes ahead and decides to crash my ship.
We are to stay at Xander as temporary residents while my ship is being repaired, which will take approximately two days before we carry out The Collector's mission.
A timid knock could be heard from the door.
"We have guests." Drax said, noticing the faint knock as well. While Rocket on the other hand, continued to flick switches and connect metal objects together.
I groaned slightly, defiantly not in the mood for any guests at the moment. Pressing the button for the door to open, I was kind of surprised to see Anaconda; the new and stunning servant girl of The Collector. She wore a different dress to the first time I had seen her. Its creamy fabrics wove around her lithe figure and tightened across her waist, cut short above her knee. She was almost alluring.
"Hello Peter." She greets quietly, her hands tucked behind her back. She peered over my shoulder, and I stepped out of the way to allow her inside.
"I have been ordered to visit and to make sure everything is well. I bought a gift." Anaconda explains, as we walk through the hallway. She removes a tall crimson bottle of alcohol from behind her back and offers it to me.
Before I could even grab it, Rocket halts his mechanic works and jumps up to grab the bottle. "Thanks." He mumbles, attempting to tear the cork off with his incredibly sharp teeth, walking over to the kitchen. I sigh down at him and look back to Anaconda.
"Yeah, we're doing fine." I shrug, and grin lightly. "Drax?"
"I am well, thank you." He answers mindlessly and snatches the bottle off Rocket from the kitchen, who has failed to remove the cork. Rocket's saliva soaked the top half of the bottle, and Drax looked down at him "Gross."
Anaconda looked around the room with curiosity, and studied the wall to her right. "Nice wallpaper." She comments patting the wall. "Yeah." I nod, bunching my eyebrows up at her. If anyone stayed around Taneleer too long, I think they would become a weirdo too.
A bracelet drops off from her hand and she bends over to pick it up.
Thump! Splooosh!
I turn to Drax and Rocket, who previously where fighting over the bottle of wine. The red liquid is spilled over the marble tiles, walls and benches. Drax stands awkwardly with an empty bottle in one hand and the cork in his other. Rocket is soaked in the wine, looking hilarious with matted fur, and staggering to his feet at the end of the puddle.
Drax looks to me, and opens his mouth to speak but then decides to say nothing.
"You know what? I'm not even going to ask." I shake my head, examining the scene once more, slightly chuckling at Rocket who glares at Drax.
I turn towards Anaconda who smiles at me and there is a moment of strange silence. I clear my throat, "Well thank you for visiting." I say, trying to be polite.
"You are welcome, Peter Quill. I shall be on my way since I have duties to attend to." She bows her head respectably, allowing me to escort her towards the door. Before she leaves she turns back and says, "Sincere apologies… for interrupting." She apologizes and heads out of the door in silence.
"What was all that about?" Rocket calls out from the kitchen once she leaves.
"I don't know. I guess The Collector wanted to make sure we were in good hands." I reply and return to the kitchen areas.
"Good hands?" Drax frowns with confusion.
I don't bother to explain this time.
"What is going on?" a stern voice asks from the hallway of rooms.
I watch Gamora walk down the hallway, her body wound up in a cream coloured towel with dark damp hair lazily wound up and glistening green skin.
I can't help but stare. I can't help but imagine…
Ugh, I am so dirty minded. Whatever I am guy, and that's a pretty good excuse for almost anything. The only other time I've seen her close to being nude was the time in the prison cell, so it could probably be easy to understand how much of a shock it is to see her like this.
"Peter?" Gamora's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I blinked a few times.
"Uh…" I stutter. What was she saying again?
Rocket begins to laugh and I shoot him a glare. His laughing always sounds unreal. "That is a fake laugh." I mutter, but this time he just continues to laugh.
"The cork came off and hit Rocket, and so did the wine." Drax explains to Gamora and looks back over the scene himself, almost with pride.
Gamora takes one look at Drax, Rocket and the wine. "Clean it up." She says quietly to them. Then she turns to me, her gaze lingering longer than it should before she saunters back in to her room.
After Rocket finally stops 'laughing', he and Drax search through the apartment for some cleaning supplies or closets that would contain anything to help.
I sigh and turn around to walk to my room.
"What the heck?!" I jump backwards staring up at the eight foot tall Groot who was standing behind me. How did he get in here? I thought he was outside this whole time.
Instead of saying anything, like something along the lines of 'I', 'am' and 'Groot', he just stands there staring down at me with a smug look set on his face.
"What?" I ask and look behind me, only to find nothing interesting.
"I am Groot." He says, but of course I do not understand what he's trying to say. All I hear is 'I am Groot.' And that exact meaning.
"I am Groot…" he repeats with a sigh and points towards Gamora's door.
I look towards Gamora's door but still don't understand.
"What he's trying to say is, is that you should make a move, gargoyle." Rocket interprets, carrying a steel bucket filled with scrubbing brushes and paper towels.
How did they know that I liked her? I mean they watched us almost kiss, but that's about it.
"It's pretty obvious. The way you look at her with googly eyes." Rocket explained noticing my look of confusion and set the bucket down on the floor, arching his back and moaning.
"Really?" I wince.
"I am Groot."
"Hey, that ain't a bad idea." Rocket nods at Groot.
"What? What did he say?" I ask Rocket eagerly.
"He said you should take her out. Specifically speaking out in the garden, with his help of course." Rocket replies.
"I'm Groot?"
"No, of course I ain't helpin'. I don't do the sappy stuff, plus I am busy." Rocket excused. A loud metallic clatter erupted from somewhere in the apartment. Rocket groaned and covered his face with his paws.
"What are ya doin', Drax?!" Rocket shouted and dragged the bucket along with him.
I looked up to Groot. And he looked back down at me.
I just hope this was going to turn out well.
I stood outside Gamora's room, taking a deep breath. I'll be lucky if she doesn't eat me alive or something. Wait, can she do that?
I ignore the irrelevant thoughts and cautiously open her door. Gamora is looking at some holographic map of the entire universe, which took up most of her room space.
"Were you ever taught to knock, Peter?" she asks not once looking up at me, zooming in on different plants and examining its properties.
"Yeah, but I choose not to." I say and let myself inside her room. It looked similar to everyone else room but was more narrow and long rather than wider. There were electrical appliances that generated different holograms and triggered various parts of her room. It smelt faintly of cinnamon for some reason.
"Will you just forget how annoying I am for a few minutes, and let me show you something?" I ask quickly with a hopeful grin.
"What?" she asks but I place my hands over her eyes, and begin to lead her out of the room. "Peter, unhand me at once!" she shouts, but I walk faster down the long hallway.
"What is this nonsense? I demand an explanation!" she shouts, but allows me to continue to lead her.
"Just close your eyes. You trust me?" I say. It wasn't supposed to sound like question, but it did.
Gamora goes quiet and I feel her eyelashes flutter against my hands. I use one hand to cover both her eyes as I use the other to press the button, activating the door.
I hear Gamora sigh as I lead her outside in the gardens, and slowly remove my hand. I turn to look at her, but she still has her eyes squeezed shut. "Open." I whisper, with a smile. She slowly flutters her eyes open and they widen at the sight in front of her.
Newly grown flowers erupt on the grass like frozen flames, bringing their cool blaze in to the late of the night. The sweet, almost sickly, smell of them cut through the soft scent of the night's fresh atmosphere. The flowers stood six feet tall, and were glittered in shades of gold and then other colours of pinks, purples, blues and yellows that complimented the glittering sky.
The air beneath our knees could be seen to swirl and eddy like water, it flowed around us and we had no choice but to breathe it in. Sequin-silver stars like the scattered embers of a dying fire winked down at us, illuminating the atramentous yet vibrantly coloured curtain of sky.
Glowing embers of Groot's creations lingered and swirled in the air slowly and silently, enlightening a soft orange glow throughout the gardens paths among the deep darkness.
"Peter…" Gamora whispers in shock. "How did you…"
"Groot." I answer and take a few steps forward. I look back towards her and hold out my hand, "Take my hand." I say.
She looks down at my hand with caution before slowing slipping hers in to mine.
"This is amazing." Gamora says quietly, brushing her fingertips across a gigantic yellow flower petal.
"It is." I murmur, staring closely at her. The embers create an orange glow at her face, highlighting her cheekbones and sending dappled shadows across her contours. For once she didn't look scary, she looked really… beautiful.
I lead her through a path and a large mutant butterfly with iridescent blue wings swoop over our heads. She leans against a tree trunk, releasing our grip, and stares over the gardens once more with amazement.
"Are you afraid? About the mission?" I ask, staring above at the sky.
"Whatever nightmares the future holds are but dreams compared to what's behind me." She answers her jaw tightening slightly.
I decide to change the topic, "You know, I still like you."
"That's a little obvious, Quill." She mutters, with a small grin on lips.
"Why does everyone say that? It's not that bad…" I argue.
"Actually, you stand corrected." She says and gestures towards the extraordinary garden.
"Whatever." I sigh and lean against the tree trunk beside hers. After a moment's long silence, "Do you like me back?" I ask. This felt like primary school all over again. It was so awkward.
She turns to look at me, but doesn't answer. I lean forward and so does she.
Unexpectedly, my hand drifts down to her hip. It settled there and pulled her closer. She inhaled sharply. She was against my chest, looking up with big dark eyes. She splayed her hand against my chest, intending to push me away, but instead she left it there. Her breathing quickened slightly. I began nuzzling her neck with delicate kisses. Warmth radiates from the spot where my lips just touch her neck, and I could feel her shiver.
She urged herself to push away, but couldn't. My head was angled slightly to the side as my lips came closer and closer to hers. She was surprised to find her own lips parted. It wasn't like the abrupt kiss we shared back in the Milano. At first, it was a delicate butterfly of a kiss. Then my arms encircled her, as we both leaned deeper.
Rocket
"It's about freakin' time, Quill!" I say, adjusting my identificator screen and zooming in on them both.
"I'm Groot." Groot frowns at me, nudging me sideways slightly. So what if it's wrong?! We were ex-criminals, and he is complaining about this?!
"And so is drinking from the water fountain, Groot, but I don't see you stopping that." I snap, and place the screen down.
"Rocket, we haven't cleaned it up yet," Drax interrupts from behind us, referring to the puddle of red that remained.
"Oh whoa, don't go blaming it on me. You're the one who did it!" I shout and kick my bucket away.
"Gamora will most likely harm us if she sees the mess still here." Drax frowns.
I spring up slightly, "You know what? I think cleaning it up is a good idea after all! Groot, grab a bucket."
This chapter is ultra long, I didn't mean for it to get this long but it did. I hope you all don't mind! I decided that I need a real chapter for Starmora, and then we'll get back on track with the story line (The mission, Peter's father, etc.)
Thank you for all the reviews and follows! They mean a lot. I will be posting the next chapter, when I get around 60 reviews. It doesn't have to be exact, it's a just a petty goal.
But what do you think of their relationship? Favorite moments? What are you wondering about?
I know I've said it before, but a review will take less than 30 seconds and a follow will take less than 10 - if you enjoyed the story that is. And once, again thank you for reading!