"Captain, can we talk?" Rocket asks as she sits in Benatar's copilot seat.
Peter turns toward Rocket, surprised at the formality. "Yeah, sure." She says, smiling sweetly and gesturing for her to join her.
Rocket relaxes in the seat, quietly looking out at the stars for a long moment, while Peter waits for her to speak. When she doesn't say anything, Peter decides to ask. "So.. What's on your mind?"
Rocket continues to watch the stars a little longer as she thinks about what she wants to say. "You're happy right?" She asks.
Peter taps a few things on her control panel before she responds. "Yeah, of course I'm happy. Never been better."
Rocket hesitates to say anything but eventually settles on, "That's good. I'm happy too." She looks away.
Peter sits fiddling with the controls for a bit before turning to Rocket. "What's wrong, Rocket?" she asks. "You're not one to brood so openly."
Rocket turns back, but still doesn't look directly at Peter. "It's nothing." She tries to dismiss the thought.
"Don't say that." Peter answers. She turns the ship a little, let's go with her left hand, and places it on Rocket's paw.
"I'm just glad you're happy, that's all." Rocket flips her paw and grips Peter's hand reassuringly.
Peter holds the grip for a little longer before speaking. "I am happy Rocket," she tells her, "but you know what? I'm not completely happy, unless my little buddy is happy."
Rocket smiles. It occurs to her that once upon a time, she would have hated being called little buddy. "Thanks Captain." She says.
"So, what's eating you?" Peter pushes as she lets go of Rocket and starts fiddling with the controls a bit more.
Rocket looks at the stars once more, as if the answer was out there. She takes a deep breath and decides to come clean. "You promise you're not gonna get mad?" She asks.
"Get mad?" Peter asks, a little concerned. "Should I be worried? Did you do something?"
"No it's nothing like that." Rocket chuckles, thinking about all the mischief she used to get up to. "I'm just worried you'll get upset about my own.. personal problems."
"Why would I get upset about something bugging you?" Peter asks. "I want you to be happy too."
"It's nothing." Rocket says buying more time. "It's just..." She looks away again.
"What?" Peter asks, curiously. Rocket waves, to dismiss it. "No, seriously. What's going on?"
Rocket takes a deep breath, looking down. "Alright," she says, "Ever since the changes, things have been very different on this ship."
"I understand that." Peter replies.
"At first it was Mantis, you know... being horny all the time." Rocket says.
"You don't have to tell me about that." Peter agrees.
"Then Drax and Nebula!"
"Whoa yeah!" Peter exclaims. "Like where did that come from?"
"I know, right!" Rocket throws her hands out as if holding it out there. "And then there's y..."
Peter is laughing but has to stop herself to catch the rest. "Then there's what?"
"There's uhm... You know..." Rocket scratches her head awkwardly.
"No, I don't know." Peter Quill sounds concerned now. "What is there?
"It's just..." Rocket pretends to cough, "You and Gamo.."
"I'm sorry?"
"You and Gamora!" Rocket says loudly.
"Shhhh..." Peter says. "She's sleeping."
"Sorry, sorry." Rocket throws her hands out. "It's just, ever since you... we got her back, you her had been at it like..." Rocket tilts her head implying something.
"Like rabbits?" Peter asks, feeling embarrassed.
"Yeah, whatever that is!" Rocket answers loudly.
"Quiet." Star-Lord says pointing to the back of the ship.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Rocket says. "It's just, before the changes, we were always ragging on each other, and at each other's throats. It was fun."
Peter looks at Rocket a little surprised at this. She shrugs.
"It definitely wasn't awkward." Rocket continues. "Now it's all, love here, love there," Rocket begins pointing at different areas of the ship, "love out in the open, love on the chair, love on the floor, love all over the hallway." Star-Lord's face flushes red.
"Alright. Okay, I see your point." Star-Lord cuts her off not wanting to get into the details.
"You see what I mean?" Rocket asks, "It's disgusting!"
"And you liked it better the way it was?" Peter asks. "Back then everyone was always angry, it always smelled like body odor, and everyone spit on the floor..."
"Hey, we still spit on the floor." Rocket does exactly that, just to prove her point. "You just don't notice it because you're shacked up in your rooms all the time."
"Alright, fine." Peter relents. "What do you want me to do? Everyone's happy."
"Well it still smells." Rocket responds, "Just not quite the same. It's embarrassing"
"Embarrassing?" Peter asks.
"Yeah, Groot is still a kid, and Mantis is having a hard time. I don't like seeing it."
"You don't?" Peter asks.
Rocket looks at her guiltily. "Well, no." She shrugs her shoulders and turns away. "It makes me feel all... blegh inside."
"Blegh inside?" Peter inquires. "What do you mean? Like lonely?"
"I don't know." Rocket turns away crossing her arms defensively.
"Awe..." Peter exclaims.
"Shut up!" Rocket replies.
"I still love you, Rocket." Peter says playfully, trying to pinch her furry cheek.
"Stop that." Rocket says, pretending she's not enjoying the attention.
"Alright," Peter says, "If it bothers you that much, I'll talk to the crew about toning it down a bit. It'll be awkward, but for you, it's worth it."
"Really?" Rocket asks, relieved. "You will?"
"Of course." Peter says whole heartedly. "Afterall, we have to protect our baby boy Groot."
Rocket smiles. "Thanks captain."
"You're welcome buddy." Peter says, shaking her shoulders happily and concentrating on steering. "For a second there, I thought you were going to demand I change everyone back."
"No, I've kind of given up on that happening." Rocket says reclining in the chair. "Things aren't that bad like this, and it seems to make Mantis happy."
"Yeah, it really isn't that bad." Peter smiles as she says this. "And for the most part we seem to be much better off."
"Gods!" Rocket shouts suddenly grabbing her abdomen.
"Whoa, are you..." Peter doesn't finish asking her question before collapsing forward in pain. She manages to turn on autopilot before she completely loses concentration. She groans in pain as well.
Half a minute later they look up toward each other. "Oh my god! You're!" Rocket says pointing at Peter.
"And you!" Peter points at Rocket. "This can't be!"
"What is going on!" Drax shouts very loudly from his room. He comes rushing out with a blanket wrapped around his waist.
"Drax!" Star-Lord says, taking in the image of Drax being male again. He still feels shocked.
"What's wrong, Drax?" Nebula says as she walks out of the room, topless. "Why do you look like that?" She asks, not realizing she has changed back also. She turns toward Star-Lord and Rocket, confused. "What's going on?" It takes her longer than expected to realize.
Rocket points at her body, causing Nebula to look down at her own exposed chest. "It seems we've changed back." She looks back at the others. "I'm going back to bed. Are you coming?" She asks, looking toward Drax and completely unphased by the changes.
"No," Drax responds quickly. "I can't. I'm married!"
"What?" Rocket and Star-Lord ask at the same time. Nebula looks legitimately confused.
Before anyone can say anything, Mantis can be heard shouting from her room interrupting them. "No, no, no, no!" She shouts before breaking something. "No!" *crash* Another unknown object is destroyed.
Groot comes out of another room. "I am Groot." Groot seems to startle when seeing everyone and then starts looking at her own hands. "I am Groot." No one seems to notice a difference.
Mantis' door flies open and she looks furious. She is wielding a piece of hanger-like wire, and using it to hit things. "Who did it?!" She demands. "Was it you?!" She wields the wire toward Rocket.
"Don't look at me!" Rocket responds.
Mantis turns the wire toward Peter, then points it at Drax, then Nebula, finally Groot. She is the only one who notices Groot's changes. "Nooo..." She starts to cry and covers her head due to sensory overload.
"I am Groot." Groot reaches out to her.
"Mantis..." Rocket says as he and Star-Lord rush up to comfort her.
"I don't want to go back." She wails. Nebula has to step past Drax to help comfort Mantis. She scowls angrily when Drax steps away from her. Mantis is loudly crying now, as the crew tries to comfort her.
"Uh, guys..." A new voice chimes in.
Star-Lord, Nebula, and Rocket turn toward the source. Drax has to step out of the way for them to see. To everyone's surprise a young man exits the last room. He has one of Peter's shirts and a pair of shorts, because he clearly got dressed quickly.
"Oh my god!" Rocket exclaims. "Gamora?"
The young man nods.
Drax cannot help but point and start laughing loudly.
*** Upstate New York ***
"I really appreciate you coming all this way after all Bucky." Steve Rogers says. "You didn't have to."
"It's fine Steve." Bucky replies, with a hand on the Captain's wheel chair.
"I think she's got it." Sam tells Bucky, drawing attention to it.
Bucky removes his hand and turns away, hiding embarrassment.
"What is that like the seventh time?" Sam asks playfully.
"At least I'm not trying to carry her." Bucky quips back, drawing attention to a moment when Sam tried to help earlier.
"Alright," Sam replies, "I get it. She's not a flower."
"Come on you guys." Steve says, pushing her chair a little further ahead. "You guys have been cracking damsel-in-distress jokes non-stop since the flight."
"I'm just being friendly." Sam says playfully. "We can't help but worry about you."
"I think this one's in love with you." Bucky says, catching Sam off guard.
"So he can be funny." Sam says, feeling amused.
"Oh, I never said I was joking." Bucky replies, with a smirk.
"So it's jealousy then?" Sam asks playfully.
"Well, I did see her first." Bucky plays along.
"Oh my god..." Steve says pushing his wheelchair further ahead. "I'm starting to think I liked it better when you both didn't get along."
"See," Sam says, "you're embarrassing her."
"I suppose I should just stand back and just let you be the hero." Bucky replies.
"You might learn a thing or two." Sam jokes.
"You know I'm still here, right." Steve calls back as she continues to move away.
They both smirk toward each other, enjoying the banter.
"I just..." Bucky pauses for a second. "I j... Errhh." He grabs his left shoulder suddenly then leans forward in pain.
"Arrgh!" Sam wails out in nearly equal discomfort. "What's going on?" He manages to say.
Bucky shouts very loudly as his metallic arm falls off and lands loudly on the floor followed by several pieces of metal.
Sam's pain begins to subside, but it is clear, Bucky is still going through changes. She crawls toward him, trying to make sure he is ok. "Bucky." She calls, not realizing her voice has changed. She places a hand on her shoulder just as Bucky flips over and screams in the air.
Sam falls backwards on her butt as she takes in the shock of what she is witnessing. More pieces of metal and wiring seem to fall from Bucky's shoulder where there was once nothing, a small appendage appears, slowly growing into a hand and eventually a full grown arm. Bucky continues to howl in pain as this occurs. This lasts for nearly a whole minute. When it finally stops, Bucky rolls forward and places her head on the cold ground, breathing heavily.
"Bucky?" Sam calls out. Her eyes widen as she realizes her voice has changed. She places a hand on Bucky again. "Are you alright?"
Bucky is sweating profusely and still recovering from the changes. The feeling of gravel on her left hand feels almost unnatural. Even lifting it to her face feels unreal as she takes in the image of an entirely new somewhat pale-pink arm. She reaches up with her right hand and touches it. The sensation of feeling is like a shock to her and she recoils briefly, before trying again. Goosebumps crawl up her new arm and she takes in a deep breath at the wild sensation of curling and uncurling her fingers.
"This is insane!" Sam declares. "Steve! Bucky's arm is..." Sam is unsure why it hadn't dawned on him, and it's clear Bucky didn't think of it either, but they both look up simultaneously toward Captain America.
A wheel chair slowly rolls backwards toward Falcon and the Winter Soldier, blocking their view. When it gets close enough, Sam reaches out and pushes it to the side. It's empty.
"Steve." Bucky calls out, somewhat oblivious of her voice change. She pushes herself up still only using her right hand.
"Bucky!" Stever Rogers says as he turns around, face still full of surprise. His eyes rest on Sam, then Bucky. It takes him a long moment to take in what he is seeing. He wonders if it's really them.
Steve looks up and down, eventually his gaze rests on the mechanical limb, still sitting in the gravel. "Your arm!" He says in shock, eyes darting back up. His gaze shifts to Bucky's new appendage.
Bucky and Sam are not sure where to look, as too many things are happening at once.
"This is amazing!" Captain America says and he walks briskly toward his two best friends and awkwardly hugs them.