If there was one thing Rocket liked more than harassing Peter, it was being alone in his workshop by the engine room. Not only did it provide solitude from the rest of the crew (through Groot was more than welcome to be with the raccoon whenever he wished), it also let the ex-bounty hunter indulge in his passion for anything mechanical. Weather it was repairing broken weapons or adding improvements to said weapons, Rocket was the happiest in his private sanctuary of metal and electronics. But today was different…very different.
Instead of being alone with his thoughts as he mindlessly worked away on whatever project he was pursuing or even enjoying some one-on-one buddy time with Groot, Rocket was stuck babysitting a seven year old.
Gamora always respected Rocket's opinions; despite she would roll her eyes on occasion when the woman felt the small beast was out of line. Hell, Rocket even liked her. But now that she was a little girl once more, the annoyance level had risen. The child had a curiosity to her that would have not only killed a cat (as the phrase goes); it would mostly likely kill Rocket!
This came in the form of her constantly asking Rocket questions about his hobby. As he was busy repairing Peter's busted elemental gun for the fourth time this week (seriously, that dumbass needs to stop rough-housing his blaster like some careless kid; no pun intended), Gamora would stand next to the raccoon as he poked and prodded at the weapon.
"What are you working on?"
"I'm trying to fix Pete's gun."
"What's wrong with it?"
"That dummy blew out a charge. I'm replacing the burnt out one with a new one."
"Why does the gun need a charge? I thought it fired bullets."
"The bullets are actually compressed meta-physical compounds of the four basic elements. They pack more punch than regular gunpowder bullets. In order for the gun to work—"and this is when Rocket would pause, let out a tired, frustrated sigh and turn to the youngster.
"Look, I have a lot of work to do and I can't be bothered. Go run off and play with Groot."
"But I want to learn about how to fix weapons. Father taught me that it's very important to learn about as many weapons as I can."
"Well, I ain't your Papa. Now buzz off and go make daisy crowns with Groot or somethin'." Rocket shooed Gamora way, but not before she gave him a dirty look when she took her leave.
This would go on for some time before Groot had let Rocket know he was being rude to the girl.
"I know I'm not being fair, but I'm dealing with very sensitive materials now."
With some hard work, Peter managed to find a few of the replacement parts Rocket needed for the hyperdrive. The core was a long way from being at one hundred percent, but as he worked diligently on the malfunctioning machine, the overall progress pleased Rocket.
Groot just stared at his friend with discontent.
"What do you want me to do, play house and have a tea party with her?!"
Groot nodded. "No! And no means no, Groot!" Rocket waggled an angry finger at the tree man.
"I am Groot."
Rocket only let an exasperated grumble be his reply. "OK, fine! I'll spend some real quality time with Gamora. Oh, and by the way. Just what have the two of you been doing when I send the kid to you?"
Groot smiled and placed a daisy crown atop the raccoon's head. He did it. He took Rocket's snide comment about making flower crowns and actually made them with Gamora!
"I hate you." Rocket muttered nonchalantly.
"I am Groot." The tree responded, smiling once more.
When Gamora heard that the grumpy animal was going to devote his full attention to her, the seven year old was apprehensive.
"You're not pulling my leg now, are you Mr. Rocket?"
"No, and please don't call me 'Mr. Rocket'. Rocket is just fine; I'm not that old."
"OK, Rocket. So, what are we going to do today, then?"
"Since you've been so keen on learning about how things are built, I figured we give this a go."
Rocket pulled out a large box from his storage cabinet and placed it on the workbench. It was a children's construction toy kit. Blowing off the thin layer of dust, he opened the box and pulled out the kit's instruction booklet.
"You're a little too young to be working on weapons, but I saw this at the last port we were at and I immediately thought of you." Rocket explained.
"Wow!" Gamora gasped as she looked at the many metal pieces in the box. "I can make anything I want out of all this stuff?"
"Anything your heart desires! But you might wanna look at this booklet first." Rocket handed the dingy packet to her.
She flipped through the pages, becoming more enthusiastic with the possible inventions the girl could create. Gamora showed Rocket each page, pointing to the ones she wanted to build.
"Then I propose this: let's try to combine them all and see what we get."
"Great idea!" Gamora said with excitement.
For the next few hours, Rocket and his now juvenile team-mate where busy screwing, hammering and drilling all kinds of metal pieces together. Rocket proved to be an excellent instructor to the child; he would show how to piece together the parts with Gamora replicating his instructions perfectly. Groot watched on as the raccoon played with her, smiling and laughing along with the former adult.
When he saw that Rocket and Gamora's crazy contraption was near completion, Groot silently left the workspace to go find Peter and Drax. He managed to locate them in the common room and motioned the two to follow him. When Groot escorted them into Rocket's workroom, Peter and Drax wondered just what in the world Gamora and the furball had been working on.
"Oh, hello Mr. Quill and Mr. Drax." The seven year old greeted them. "Look what Rocket and I have built." She proudly presented the oddly shaped construct to the men.
"It is most impressive." Drax said.
"Is sure is. What does it do?" Peter questioned.
"Gamora, would you do the honors?" Rocket asked her. She nodded and flicked on the switch to the machine.
As the gears turned and clanked, it was clear that they had created a Rube Goldberg machine. A Ping-Pong ball was being carried throughout the complex path as everyone in the room watched the object's journey. The ball landed on a catapult, which then flung the ball into the air. Peter quickly caught the round object in his hand.
"Gotcha!" he said and held up the Ping-Pong ball for everyone to see. "Your little gizmo reminds me of a game I use to play growing up call Mouse Trap. Though I think this machine here just put that game to shame."
"Rocket is a great teacher! I learned all sorts of things from him!" The child stated.
The small animal was actually blushing from being put on the spot. "Aw, come on." Rocket said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Groot let out a low chuckle. It was nice to see his friend receive a compliment from Gamora.
A few days later, it was clear that everyone was growing restless from being on board the Milano too long. Groot was paying close attention to his team mates' disgruntled attitudes due to cabin fever and made a suggestion. Using the ship's overhead monitor, he brought up a map to a nearby planet that was safe for the vessel to land on. The tree showed Peter, Drax, Gamora and Rocket the lush green world below them.
"You want us to go there?" Peter said, pointing to the monitor.
Groot shook his head yes. He then brought up an info box saying that there were no immediate threats that could harm the group.
"What's so special about this place, Groot?" questioned Drax.
"I am Groot."
"I see. We have been cooped up here for way too long. It'll be good to get outside and stretch our legs." Rocket pointed out. "And you could use some good ol' fashion sunshine and not some sunlamp, buddy."
Groot beamed. While he could survive on artificial light if need be, the tree man enjoyed natural light the most. After all, his physiology was plant-based. Gamora was interested in exploring the vast landscape as much as the men.
"Mr. Groot has shown me many different kinds of flowers and plants since being on the Milano. It would be nice to see in their natural environment." The little girl relished in watching Groot produce flowers from his hand and creating all sorts of bouquets and flower trinkets with him.
It was an easy decision; the crew would travel to the surface below. After Peter landed the ship and made sure the air was safe to breath without the use of masks, the heroes exited the vessel. The ship was parked on a cliff and the four men and the youngster looked out from the viewpoint and gazed at the sights before them.
A vast valley lay before their eyes and was covered with not only the greenery from the trees and surrounding shrubbery, but also blanketed with flowers. The flowers where of every shade imaginable, creating a rainbow of color that seemed to stretch out for miles. The planet's twin moons hovered lazily over the sandy pink sky.
It was truly breathtaking, like a painting come to life. No one made a sound as they let the scenery speak for itself.
"It's so beautiful." Gamora quietly said in awe. She was standing next to Peter. Without thinking, she grasped his hand in a gentle grasp.
Peter looked down and smiled. "Is sure is." He told her. The simple gesture the child of holding his hand was sweet and tender and reflected on how much she cared for him. He didn't want the moment to end.
"Mr. Groot. Can we go and see if we can find some of the flowers you showed me earlier?" Gamora said, breaking the moment of reflection at the beauty around them and letting go of Peter's hand.
Groot smiled and motioned her to come to his side. He also let Rocket know that he needed to come with them, as the raccoon was the only one out the galactic heroes that could understand the tree when he spoke. As the three began to walk into the nearby woods, Peter felt a ping of jealousy as he watched the seven year old gleefully leading Groot down the path with Rocket trailing behind them. He secretly wished she had invited him to come along, but knew that he would get his chance to spend time alone with Gamora when the time was right.
Meanwhile in the woods, Rocket watched as the girl and Groot where busy looking at the various flora that was scattered on the ground. He wasn't that interested in botany as much as Groot was, but he did enjoy seeing Gamora happily pointing to the various plants and berries Groot had taught her. With each new flower they encountered, she eagerly picked it and soon had created a giant collection in her little arms.
"I want to take them back to the ship and share them with Mr. Drax and Mr. Quill. I hope they are not allergic to any of these flowers; it would be horrible if I had to leave them behind." The girl said.
"I'm sure those two goofballs can handle a few flowers." Rocket told her. The thought of seeing Peter and Drax having sneezing fits from the bouquet Gamora picked amused him to no end.
A loud rumble was heard above their heads as Rocket, Groot and Gamora looked up at the sky. A sudden thunderstorm was approaching fast! The three hurried back to the Milano as the rain came pouring down on them. As the trio ran to try to beat the rain, Gamora dropped her flowers, but didn't notice as she continued to run against the heavy shower alongside Rocket and Groot. With the rain becoming almost unbearable, Groot summoned the branches of a few nearby trees to form a canopy to shelter the group from the storm.
Shaking off the excess water from his fur, Rocket then radioed Peter and Drax, letting them know that the three where safe.
"We're just gonna wait out the storm. Hopefully it'll pass in no time." Rocket said to Peter over his earpiece.
"If it doesn't, Drax and I will come and get out."
"OK, Rocket out."
A flashy crack of lighting lit up across the sky followed by a large boom of thunder. The former bounty hunter turned to see Gamora trembling against Groot, her hands covering her ears and eyes tightly shut.
"Come on, it's only a little thunder and lightning."
"No." the child whimpered and then shrunk in fear when another clap of thunder roared above.
"Don't tell me you've never been in a thunderstorm before, kid." Rocket said.
"I have!" Gamora snapped at him. "It's just…the noise reminds me of Father bringing me to the hospital."
"The hospital?" Rocket didn't understand the connection the seven year old was making.
"Uh-huh. Whenever Father left me alone with the doctors to do tests on me…some of the machines they used where loud and sounded like the thunder just now."
"Did these tests hurt you?"
"Yes. Sometimes they were so bad I wanted to cry! But Father won't allow it. He says that those who are weak are allowed to cry. I need to be strong; I mustn't cry, even when I'm scared or in pain!"
Rocket and Groot could tell that Gamora wanted to cry. Her green skin began to have a reddish undertone from her forcing herself to hold back the tears and her sobs. Rocket began to feel sorry for the girl. He knew all too well what it was like to feel so helpless, to not be able to express your true feelings to those around you.
"Hey kid." He called to Gamora.
She looked up at the raccoon, her eyes becoming watery and slightly pink as a tear did escape. Rocket walked over to her and got into her lap and told her to put her arms around his damp body in a gentle hug. Cuddling Rocket like a teddy bear, Gamora held him close to her and buried her face into his fur.
"You smell funny." She mumbled as she inhaled the unpleasant odor of wet fur.
"So do you."
The exchange made both Rocket and Gamora laughed slightly as they both of their clothes and bodies were drenched from the rain.
"It's OK to cry. You'll feel better, I promise." Rocket told her.
And she did. Gamora began to cry softly as she tightened her grip on Rocket for comfort. A puff of air escaped from his body and he wanted to tell the youngster to ease her grip, but Rocket held his tongue. He knew that it was better to just let her express her feelings than kept them all bottled up. After she was done shedding tears of sorrow into his fur, the little girl lifted her head and sniffled.
"I do feel better, Rocket." She said.
"I'm glad. You know, I hate going to the hospital too. A long time ago, I was given the same horrible tests that you are given." He explained.
"Is that true?"
"Can you feel the bumps on my back? Those are cybernetic implants to enhance not only my body, but my mind as well. When the doctors inserted them one by one, the pain was so terrible I was almost knocked out!"
The little girl felt several hard metal nodes dotted on Rocket's back. The unnatural feeling of them on his skin made her tense up.
"Don't worry, they don't bother me anymore." The raccoon reassured her. "As I was being cut up and stabbed like a piece of meat, I wanted to cry, shout, do whatever it took to let those assholes know how much pain I was in! But with every attempt I made, they shot me down, telling me I wasn't supposed to act like that. But then Groot here came and rescued me. We've been best friends ever since. I remember he let me know that it was OK to cry, to express my feelings to others."
"Groot said that?" Gamora, like Peter and Drax, had a hard time understanding what the giant tree was saying most of the time. She knew that when he did speak, it was always important, despite his limited vocabulary.
"Yup. By letting others know how you feel, they can better understand where you're coming from…and offer to help you."
The child then looked up at Groot, who gave her a caring, sympathetic grin. He then patted her wet head softly and whipped away a lone tear that appeared once more from her face.
"We are Groot." The alien gently cooed.
"That's right, Groot. All of us are here to cheer you up when you are in pain or scared or just plain down in the dumps, Gamora. The guys and I care about you very much."
Tears started to appear in Gamora's eyes once again. "Thank you. Thank you so very much." She said with acknowledgment as she pressed her tear-stained face into Rocket's fur once more and hugged him. He chuckled as he returned her hug. Even Groot got in on the love fest and wrapped his great, big arms around the small child and raccoon.
It wasn't long before the thunderstorm ended; it came as quickly as it went. Now that she was in a better mood, the group began their trek back to the spaceship. As they walked down the path, Gamora grabbed a hold of Rocket and Groot's hands and held them into hers. Sensing this, the two former outlaws looked at the girl, who smiled at them both. They smiled back and continued to hold one another's hands as they entered the opening clearing. Peter and Drax where just about to go after them in the woods when they saw the trio walked up to both the thief and the brute.
"Hey now! Look who decided to show up." Peter proclaimed. "Drax and I where gonna be the dashing heroes and come to rescue you three."
"Save the heroics for later, Quill." Rocket quipped. "The kid and I are soaked to the bone and in need of a hot shower and some dry clothes."
"I can see that." Drax commented. "I will go make something warm for the both of you to drink; we can't have the little one catching a cold."
"Sounds good to me."
"How about I show you how to make hot chocolate, Drax?" Peter offered. "When I was a kid, a hot cup of cocoa always warmed me up on cold days, especially in the winter."
"What is hot chocolate?"
The aliens looked at Peter for an explanation about what the Terran beverage was. The thief had a spirited grin on his face. "Then you all are in for a treat!" he joyfully cried and hurried everyone onto the Milano.
As Rocket and Gamora took turns cleaning up, Peter began his impromptu cooking class with Groot and Drax at the fine art of making hot chocolate. After a few missteps when making the recipe and one spilled mug of the beverage later, the group sat down at the table and had their first ever cup of hot chocolate.
"So…what does everyone think?" Peter said after the aliens took their first sip of the frothy drink.
"It's good!" Gamora cheered, raising her mug in glee.
"You're lucky chocolate doesn't kill me, thanks to my advance digestive system. But I do like it." Rocket added and licked his muzzle clean of the remaining chocolate.
"It is quite tasty. I would very much like another cup." Drax commented, smiling.
"I am Groot." the tall tree man said, letting a goofy smile show on his wooden face.
"Another round, coming up!" Peter announced as he set another kettle of water on the stove to boil.
After refilling their mugs with hot cocoa, the heroes spent the rest of the evening swapping stories and enjoying each others company. Gamora looked at the four adults and recalled back to her conversation with Rocket and Groot in the woods. While she knew that Thanos was stop at nothing to mold her into his ideal image of the perfect living weapon, the youngster was enjoying her time with the galactic heroes. And just like Rocket said, if Gamora was ever feeling down, they would be there to make her feel better. An important lesson she will never surely forget.