NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.
"...Yeeeuck."
He had eaten and cooked some weird stuff over the years, but even he couldn't stomach this stuff.
A bunch of strange orange flatworms and yellow leech-like creatures wiggled around in the cylinders of his tray. His snout wrinkled in disgust and he looked up at the cook. "Uh, got any ketchup and mustard in this place?"
The scruffy-looking cook merely glared at him.
"No? How about some mayo?"
"MOVE IT, SQUIRT!" a large bulky alien yelled from behind him in line. Mikey squeaked and moved along, hurrying over to where Drax sat.
Ever since he arrived at the Kyln yesterday, Mikey stuck to Drax like glue, following him wherever he went. The other prisoners seemed to respect and even fear Drax, and nobody dared to sit at his table, except Mikey of course.
The Turtle sat down next to his cellmate and groaned as he picked at his squirming food with a fork. "April did say that cafeteria food sucks," he mumbled. "She wasn't kidding."
Drax smiled and ate his meal with no problems. "This is considered a delicacy where I come from."
"Well, good for you," Mikey sighed, pushing his tray over to Drax. "You can have mine." He leaned on the table and rested his chin in his folded arms. "I miss pizza. I miss Earth. And I miss my brothers."
"So you do have a family?" Drax asked, looking up at him from his tray.
Mikey somberly nodded. "Three bros and a Dad. Plus April and Casey. And a pet dairy feline and fire-breathing turtle."
Drax nodded, intrigued. "Do they know you are here?"
"Don't think so. 'Cause if they did, they would've busted me outta here by now. I hope they find me soon." He turned to Drax and smiled. "So what about you, Drax? You got a family, too?"
There was a flicker of what appeared to be sadness in Drax's blue eyes and he opened his mouth to speak when the whole cafeteria suddenly went into an uproar. Mikey turned around in his seat to see the prisoners pointing and throwing things at the new arrivals.
A normal-looking guy, possibly human, or at least Mikey hoped so; a hot green chick with purple highlights at the ends of her dark brown hair; a very tall, freaky-looking tree humanoid; and...a raccoon?
Mikey soon realized that everyone else was yelling death threats only at the green lady, and they called her names like "murderer!" and "scum!". He feared for her as they began to stalk and crowd her like a bunch of hungry wolves. And although he wanted to help her, he was completely outnumbered and was useless without his nunchucks.
He turned his attention back to the human, who was being confronted by a large blue dude. The alien said something to him as he began to caress his cheek in a creepy manner that made Mikey get the heebie jeebies just by watching. But then the tree thing walked up to him and stuck two fingers (or branches?) right up his nostrils, causing him to squeal in pain. He squealed even louder as the creature began to lift him from the ground by the nose.
Mikey winced as he watched. "Ouch."
The raccoon, who apparently was the tree's companion, began to talk to the crowd as he pointed to the human. "Let's make something clear! This one here's our booty! You wanna get to him, you go through us! Or, more accurately..." He smiled devilishly. "...we go through you!"
The tree thing let go of the blue dude, who curled up on the floor and held his nose, sobbing like a little girl. The other prisoners got the message and dispersed as the raccoon and his friend continued on their way.
The human whom they were protecting smiled and nodded. "I'm with them," he said as he stepped over the blue alien and followed after them.
Mikey smiled impressively. It was their first day in prison and they've already established themselves as the top dogs. If he were to make friends with those guys, he just might last long enough for his brothers to come and rescue him. "Yo, Drax, I'm gonna go meet with those dudes and-"
When he turned to look at Drax, he noticed that his cellmate was staring up at something intensely. He followed his gaze and saw that green lady sitting alone in her cell. The other prisoners banged on her door and continue to hurl death threats at her.
"Geez," Mikey muttered and shook his head. "Wondered what she did to cause all this fuss?"
Drax still didn't answer him and continued to stare. For some reason, Mikey felt a shiver down his spine and the urge to leave the table immediately.
"Well, uh, okay," Mikey chuckled nervously as he got up. "I guess I'll see you later tonight?" When Drax still didn't acknowledge him, he left the table to search for the new guys.
...
He peeked from behind a corner and watched the tree thing and his raccoon friend settling down in their new cell, which was a lot bigger than his own but was also very crowded. At least he and Drax had some privacy and room to themselves. These guys were all pretty much crammed in.
He took a deep breath and approached the two with a wide grin. "Hey, dudes!"
They both turned around at the sound of his voice. The raccoon narrowed his brown eyes and snarled at him, obviously not the trusting type, while the tree merely stared at him with curious dark eyes that had some gentleness in them.
"What do you want, twerp?" the raccoon growled.
Mikey's smile did not falter. "I just want to make some new friends while I'm stuck here."
The raccoon scoffed and shook his head. "'Make some new friends'? What do you think this is, a playground? Get lost, squirt."
The tree thing approached Mikey and towered over him, making the Turtle very nervous. But there was a warm smile on its face. "I Am Groot," it said in a deep voice and extended its hand out to him.
The fear instantly left and Mikey took the tree's hand. "Groot, huh? Nice to meet you, Groot! I'm Mikey!"
"I Am Groot," the creature repeated.
"Heh, yeah, I got that," Mikey let go of Groot's hand and walked over to the raccoon. "And what's your name?" He offered his hand for a shake.
But then the small animal suddenly nipped at Mikey's hand, causing the Turtle to yelp and flinch away. "My name is None-Of-Your-Beeswax-And-You'd-Better-Scram-Or-Else-I'll-Kick-Your-Ass."
Mikey blinked a few times then frowned. "Huh. That's a mouthful. How about I just call you 'Ass' for short?"
The raccoon's fur puffed up a little and his tail started to twitch. "Oh, a wise-guy, are ya?" He cracked his neck back and forth and stomped toward the Turtle with a raised fist, but then Groot blocked his path with his arm.
"I Am Groot," he said in a scolding tone.
"Be nice?" the raccoon asked him incredulously. "Why? He started it by being a smartass."
"I started it?" Mikey pointed an accusing finger at him. "You started it, dude!"
"Point your finger at me like that again, dude, and I'll bite it off!" the raccoon threatened.
"Hey, guys, come on," the human from earlier approached them. "Let's play nice." He had piercing blue eyes and short wavy brown hair. He smirked at Mikey and shook his hand. "Hey. Sorry about Rocket. I'm Peter Quill."
Mikey smiled and nodded. "Michelangelo, or Mikey for short. Hey, are you from Earth, too?"
Quill looked at him surprised and released his hand. "Wait...you mean to say that you're from Earth? 'Cause last time I checked, Earth turtles were a lot smaller. And they didn't talk."
"Yep. I guess you can say that I'm part human, part Turtle. I'm a mutant, dude."
"Mutant?" Rocket cocked his head. "What mad scientist made you?"
"We weren't made in a lab. My bros and I used to be normal Turtles until we accidentally got covered in this alien goo."
Quill raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Alien goo? Sounds like something out of a Marvel comic book."
Mikey chuckled too. He already liked this Quill guy.
...
Later that day, the four of them all sat at a table together in the cafeteria, getting to know each other more and discussing their backstories.
"So you're an experiment?" Mikey asked Rocket. "And you just happen to look like a raccoon?"
"I dunno what a raccoon is," Rocket mumbled angrily, tapping his claws on the table. "But yeah, I was made by a bunch of scientist who just loved to torture creatures smaller than themselves and turn them into freaks. One day I escaped and met Groot soon after that."
"I Am Groot," Groot said with a nod.
"Yeah, dude, I know," Mikey said a bit exasperatedly. "You told me that already...about fifty times."
"Get used to it," Quill told him. "That's how he talks."
Mikey looked over at Groot. "Huh? You mean, that's his language?"
Quill nodded. "Pretty much."
"Whoa. Hey, can you guys teach me how to speak Groot? I've always wanted to learn a third language. That way I can throw insults at Raph and he wouldn't understand me," Mikey chuckled at the last sentence.
"It's not something you can learn in a few days or even months," Rocket informed him. "It took me years to finally understand what he was saying."
Groot nodded again. "I Am Groot."
"So what are you in for?" Quill asked Mikey.
Mikey sighed, reminded once again of the predicament that he was currently in. "They think I stole a bunch of soul rocks from the Skyrians."
"What?!" Rocket was now laughing hysterically. "You? Stealing soul rocks from the Skyrians? That's a good one!"
"It's true!" Mikey insisted before quickly correcting himself. "I-I mean, it's not true that I did it, but they-"
"Dude, that's like stealing from a church!" Quill said, both shocked and appalled by this revelation.
"But I didn't do it! I was framed!"
"Now that I believe," Rocket chuckled. "'Cause there's no way someone like you could have the balls to pull a stunt like that."
Mikey didn't know whether or not to feel insulted by Rocket's remark. "Um, okay, well, at least you guys believe me. The cops sure didn't."
A loud alarm suddenly blared in the cafeteria and the guards began to escort the prisoners back to their cells. One approached their table. "All of you return to your cells at once," he ordered. "It's bedtime, kiddies."
Mikey got up from his seat and looked at his new friends. "So...see you guys tomorrow morning?"
Quill smiled and nodded as he left. Rocket only grumbled something under his breath and scratched his behind as he followed Quill. Groot stayed behind for a moment to smile down at Mikey.
"I Am Groot," he said.
"Is that Groot talk for 'goodnight'?" Mikey asked.
Groot nodded in reply.
"Well, in that case...I Am Groot!" Mikey waved at him as he walked away.
...
"Yo, Drax! Guess what? I just made friends with those new guys and they- Drax?"
When Mikey stepped inside his cell, he noticed that Drax wasn't back yet. Shrugging it off, he crawled into his bed and pulled the blanket over him, eager for morning to come. His stay at the Kyln was a little bit more pleasant now that he had new friends.
...
He woke up in the middle of the night and felt the need to tinkle. He sat up in his bed and was surprised to see that Drax's was still empty. "Huh, maybe he had to go, too," he figured.
...
After he lost some weight in one of the bathroom stalls and washed up, he started to head back to his cell when he heard a familiar voice bellowing from the showers.
"You dare?!"
Mikey's head whipped in the direction of the voice. "Drax?" He hurried to the showers and was shocked to see Drax confronting a small group of men who were cornering the green lady and holding a knife to her throat. At first, Mikey thought that Drax was coming to her aid and stood back.
"You know who I am, yes?" Drax asked the men as he slowly stomped over to them.
A bald guy with pointy ears and red eyes nodded as he nervously backed away. "You're Drax. The Destroyer."
"And you know why they call me this."
"You slayed dozens of Ronan's minions."
"Ronan murdered my wife, Ovette, and my daughter, Camaria," Drax's voice wavered with emotion as he spoke.
Mikey's eyes widened. Drax's family was murdered?
Drax's hands balled into fists, which trembled with growing rage. "He slaughtered them where they stood...and he LAUGHED!" he suddenly roared in the bald guy's face. He lowered his tone but it was filled with so much venom and anger. "Her life...is not yours to take."
Mikey's heart dropped as he realized that Drax wasn't there to help the green lady; he was going to kill her.
Drax looked directly at her with cold eyes. "He killed my family. I shall kill one of his in return."
The bald guy nodded and handed him his knife. "Of course, Drax. Here."
Suddenly the green woman used her incredible reflexes to swiftly knock down the two prisoners who were holding her and steal their knifes, placing them at the throats of Drax and the bald guy.
Mikey almost whistled impressively but held it in. She moved like a ninja.
"I am no family to Ronan or Thanos," she sternly said. She slowly backed away and dropped the knives. "I'm your only hope at stopping him."
But Drax would hear none of it and immediately grabbed her by the throat. He pushed her against the wall and pointed his knife at her neck. "Woman, your words mean nothing to me!"
Mikey opened his mouth to yell at Drax to stop but someone beat him to it.
"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!"
He turned to see Quill running toward them, waving his hands around frantically. "Quill?"
Everyone turned around after Mikey finally spoke up and all eyes were on him.
"Heh, um, hi," Mikey smiled and waved sheepishly.
Drax frowned and glared at him. "Go back to the cell, Michelangelo." He turned his attention back to the lady and raised the knife again. "I do not want you to see all the blood."
But Mikey refused to budge and shook his head. "No. No, Drax. I can't let you do this. This is crazy!"
"Yeah, yeah, he's right," Quill agreed. "You know, if killing Ronan is truly your sole purpose, I don't think this is the best way to go about it."
Drax looked back at Quill. "Are you not the man this wench attempted to kill?"
"Well, I mean, she's hardly the first woman to try and do that to me," he joked as he gestured to the green lady. He suddenly lifted his shirt to reveal a small scar on his left side. "Look, this is from a smoking-hot Rajak girl. Stabbed me with a fork. Didn't like me skipping out on her at sunrise." He then pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal a scar that ran down his right shoulder blade. "I got, right here, a Kree girl tried to rip out my thorax. She caught me with this skinny A'askavariian..."
As Quill continued to ramble about his past flings, Mikey groaned and rolled his eyes. And judging by the bored expression on Drax's face, he was getting tired of hearing this, too.
Quill was still going on about that A'aska-whatever-it-was. "If you think I'm seriously interested in that, then-"
"Dude!" Mikey interrupted him. "Why are we still talking about this?!"
Quill quickly shut up and nodded. "Right. You don't care. But here's the point. She betrayed Ronan. He's coming back for her. And when he does, that's when you..." He did the cutthroat gesture.
Drax looked at him confused, tilting his head a bit. "Why would I put my finger at his throat?"
Mikey facepalmed. Was he being serious right now? "No, dude. He didn't mean that literally."
"Yeah, it's a symbol," Quill repeated the gesture. "This is a symbol for your slicing his throat."
Drax still wasn't getting it. "I would not slice his throat. I would cut his head clean off."
"It's a general expression for you killing somebody," Quill explained. "What I'm saying is, you want to keep her alive. Don't do his work for him."
Drax considered this for a moment, glaring at the woman in his grasp, before he finally released her. He studied the knife in his hand and walked off with it. "I like your knife," he told the bald guy. "I'm keeping it." He brushed past Mikey, never even looking his way.
Mikey watched Quill help the woman to her feet, and the human flashed him a grateful smile as he left with her.
...
"Drax, what was that all about?" Mikey asked him as they stepped back into their cell. The tattooed man said nothing as he climbed back into his bed. Drax's silence made him uncomfortable. "Are...are you mad at me or something?"
Drax glanced over at him with a look in his eyes that a sent a shiver down the Turtle's spine. "If you ever meddle in my personal affairs again," he said in a low yet threatening voice, "I will rip you right out of your shell."
Mikey gulped and hugged his knees close to his chest as he stared at Drax in fear. "Look, I'm sorry, but...but I couldn't just stand by and watch you kill that lady. I mean, I-I don't know anything about your past, but I do know this: revenge won't make things any better. My Dad once said that revenge only leads to more pain."
Drax didn't look at him and stared at the wall instead. "Pain? You do not know what true pain is. You have never watched a loved one get slaughtered before your very eyes."
Mikey looked at him with sad blue eyes. Drax didn't know just how wrong he was. They both knew how it felt to watch someone they loved die in front of them. "Drax, come on. Talk to me, dude. We're friends, remember?"
Drax shook his head and rested his head on his pillow with his back turned to Mikey. "We may be cellmates, but we are not friends," he coldly stated.
Those words stabbed at Mikey's heart and he let out a pained, shaky sigh as he lay back down and drifted off to sleep.