Title is "Hot Blood" by KALEO

GotG belongs to Marvel.

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Chapter 15: Hot Blood

The next morning couldn't come soon enough. Despite managing only a couple of hours of sleep after Rocket left, Peter was all but skipping down the pathway towards the main court while the rest of the Guardians made their sluggish way to breakfast.

"I cannot make a call," Mantis informed him apologetically. "Only Ego can."

Peter let out a groan, and let his skipping die down to an anxious pacing. "Is he at least done pouting today? The sooner I can talk to Marlowe the better." Seven cycles. He had seven standard cycles left. And that was with Gamora letting the time difference between the Starburst and Ego's planet work in his favor. He didn't need to lose more time to Ego's apparent spat with Eternity.

"I have not seen him, yet." Her voice was quieter now. She always seemed to get uncomfortable when Peter insulted Ego outright. "Perhaps he will come after breakfast."

"Can't you call him or something?"

"No, when he needs me he finds me..."

Gamora, who had been suspiciously quiet and withdrawn since Peter had shared Rocket's insight, spoke up now. "What if you need him?"

"Ego knows everything that happens here. If I am injured or unwell, he will find me."

"Which doesn't really help us at the moment," Peter grumbled.

"Let us wait until after breakfast," Drax suggested. "If he has not shown up by the usual time, perhaps we can injure Peter and see if that summons him."

Peter whipped his head around to give the maniac a dirty look and Drax broke out into laughter, clapping Peter on the back. "I am joking," he clarified, but his bright smile was not nearly as convincing as he probably thought it was. "We will find some other way."

Breakfast rolled by slowly, with Peter sharing the last night's encounter in greater detail between taking bites of his food and glancing restlessly at the door.

"Oh!" Mantis exclaimed. "I thought there were less plates than usual. I wonder what he has been doing with them?"

"Probably throwing them into the canyon," Nebula supplied without looking up from her own food.

"Yes," a familiar voice drawled out from the doorway. "He has quite the arm on him."

"Ehggo?" Peter choked out around a bite of food as he nearly leaped from his chair. "Thur y'hrrr!"

"Yes. Here I am."

Peter swallowed his mouthful of dry biscuit as quickly as he could manage, which only left him hacking and having to hold up one finger to stall his father as he took a big swig from his cup of water. "I need to make a call," he finally got out.

"Can it wait?" Ego asked, his usual arrogant tone seemed tamped down, and there was a tiredness to his features.

"Not really, I need to call the Nova Corps as quickly as possible."

Ego made a face at that, but relented after a moment and waved Peter after himself as he turned around and left the way he had come.

-x-

It took some time for their hail to be answered, and then the patrol had to send someone back to inform the main fleet of Peter's request to speak with Marlowe or Saal. It took nearly an hour for them to receive a hail back. In that time, Peter had finally thought to asked after a brace for his finger. Ego summoned one of such nice quality and with such offhanded ease, hardly more than a twitch of his finger, that it left Peter with a burning pit of envy in his chest, and left him considering how very little he could do with the Light in comparison.

Gamora and Mantis returned to their practice in the court, and once his brace was set, Peter relocated to the stairs to sit next to Groot and watch them until Ego called him back in.

Peter relayed the information to Marlowe, who appeared a bit tired and disheveled herself as she answered his call. Apparently he was interrupting her late lunch break, which she was now forced to take on a shuttle outside of the magnetic fields. He got the feeling, from her expression, that she didn't quite consider his, admittedly not very specific, information as big of an emergency as he did.

"Well," she mumbled around a spoonful of some sort of soup that sat on the small makeshift desk in front of her, as she held up a tablet with her other hand. "If it's a more recent acquisition, that doesn't really narrow it down all that much. Thanos has taken a lot of territory with these last few pushes. Ronan's front alone has-"

"But it's gotta be easier to check the ones closer to the front lines, right?" Marlowe's complete lack of enthusiasm was undercutting his earlier optimism.

"Not necessarily." She glanced up from her tablet to shoot him a look for the interruption, but rather than say anything about it, she took another bite of her lunch and chewed it slowly before continuing. "The newer ones will have more security and higher levels of traffic in the surrounding space. Finding out who's there will be a lot more difficult. I'll check our records and see if there have been any recent refugees who have been through any of the more newly indentured planets, maybe one of them will have seen something."

Peter's disappointment must have been written plainly across his face, because when she looked up next, she paused and lowered her next spoonful of soup back into the bowl, giving him her full attention for the first time since answering the call and assuring it wasn't an emergency. "At least we have a direction to move in now," she told him. "Keep your chin up. We're not slacking off up here, so just focus on developing your powers and leave this to us, okay? If you find anything else out that might be useful you can let me know during the usual call. It's risky enough sending out these communications once a cycle, we don't need to be drawing even more attention to ourselves. We can count this as our communication for today."

"Okay," he muttered. "Thanks again, Marlowe. Sorry."

Marlowe narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips slightly, like she wasn't sure if Peter was being sarcastic or sincere. After a moment she relaxed and offered him a faint smile. "Keep yourself safe, Peter."

The call ended then, and Peter was left once more with the terrible sensation of having to sit around and wait for someone else.

"I saw you were trying to move on to fire," Ego told Peter as he waved the screen away. "Let's work on refining your control over the more physical elements first. You can still barely create anything larger than that staff your companion is using, and you could use some finer control of the form as well if you intend to do anything useful with this power."

"So you're going to keep training me?" He'd honestly been a bit worried after Ego had just up and left so quickly after meeting Eternity.

Ego grit his teeth and worked his jaw for a moment before answering. "My reasoning behind my offer to train you has not changed. This only confirms the Titan's interest in you, and shortens our timetable considerably. At this stage, it seems a clash with him is inevitable. I would prefer to not have to deal with Eternity at all, but it seems that, too, is... inevitable." His face dropped into a scowl and Peter wondered what he had been up to during this time. Had he been meeting with Eternity? Did Ego know more about this 'stepping out of reality' nonsense? Peter opened his mouth to ask him just that when Ego seemed to anticipate his intent and spoke over him. "Say goodbye to your friends, you can see them again later."

Peter followed Ego back to the Seafoam Court, waving a brief goodbye to the Guardians in the court as he passed. Gamora was busy adjusting Mantis's stance and grip on her weapon while Drax observed intently. Nebula was sprawled on her back staring into the sky some distance away, and didn't seem to notice Peter's departure. Groot was the only one who waved back.

-x-

Training with Ego was was somehow both brutal and mind-numbing in its repetition. Lunch time was spent largely with his forehead pressed against the table as he drifted in and out until Nebula shook him awake and informed him the others had all returned to the fountain court without him.

His plate had hardly been touched, so he brought it with him to pick at while he sat on the steps. It seemed Drax had finally grown bored enough to step in and help with Gamora's lessons. Mantis was sitting cross-legged on the ground while the maniac and assassin held a mock battle to, if Peter was understanding Gamora's distant words correctly, demonstrate how to use the bo staff to defend against a blade wielder. Nebula had hung around long enough to make some disparaging comments about Gamora's teaching methods, before wandering off to some undisclosed location.

By the time he was released for dinner, Peter had expanded his repertoire of stone to include everything from flaky sheets of shale, to a smooth polished marble, and all the lumpy, grey things in between that Nebula or Rocket could probably prattle off all sorts of names for with ease, but Peter found undeserving of any title beyond 'rock.'

He could also form a larger range of shapes now. An oversized Pac Man statue now loomed over the seafoam court. Ego didn't seem to find its hungry grin nearly as amusing as Peter did. He doubted it would still be there when they returned tomorrow.

-x-

Once dinner was eaten and cleared away, Peter settled down as comfortably as he could on the cool hard steps beside the fountain. The sun was setting in a fiery display and the first stars were beginning to freckle the sky, but as much as he longed to flop onto his bed, he needed to at least try to contact Eternity before he could do so.

As he tugged his legs into a more comfortable position and scrubbed at his eyelids which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds each, Gamora, Mantis and Groot, who had followed him down here, found there own places to rest as well. When Peter opened his eyes Gamora was perched neatly on the edge of the fountain, watching him with a thinly veiled interest and haloed against the water which was glowing gold in the fading light. He was so distracted by the sight that he didn't notice Mantis approaching, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when she dropped down to sit right in front of him.

"Eagh!" Peter shouted, throwing his arms up, suddenly much more awake than he had been. "Way too close!"

"I am sorry!" Mantis squeaked out, but only scooted a few inches back, looking torn. "I was... hoping your eyes might light up again..."

"Oh, um..." The alarm melted away and Peter let himself relax back into something like a meditation pose, ignoring the heat crawling onto his cheeks at Gamora's faintly amused grin from where she was watching silently. "Okay. That's fine I guess, just, a little warning next time?"

Somewhere behind him, Groot gave a reedy chuckle and it took a great deal of willpower to pretend he didn't hear it and close his eyes instead. Reaching out to the Light was surprisingly easy this time, and the soft burbling of the fountain and distant rustling of the empty forest quickly lulled his mind into an empty state.

"Hello again."

Peter opened his eyes to find that once more the world around him had been stolen away and replaced with Eternity's starscape. Only a portion of the steps he had been sitting on and a small patch of courtyard underneath Mantis remained. The empath's eyes were glittering back at him from over a grin that was as familiar as it was concerning by now. Eternity was uncomfortably close, but Peter at least had been expecting this and managed to avoid flinching.

"We really need to work on your entrances," he grumbled as he scooted back on the limited amount of solid ground he had to work with.

Eternity's lips twitched, clearly amused. "Does this form not please you?" he asked. "You seemed fond enough of her when you risked your life and so many others' to get her back."

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes, yes, you mortals and your attachment to these bodies," Eternity stood and disdainfully flicked a strand of Mantis's hair back over her shoulder. "I suppose it's to be expected to an extent, being such an integral part of this realm, but do you truly struggle so hard to tell it is me?"

"It's not that," Peter struggled to form his complaint into words. "It's just... creepy."

Eternity opened his mouth and Peter held up a hand.

"Knowing it's not them doesn't help. It's still creepy. Mantis doesn't," Peter waved at hand at the weird scowl that was painted over her features. "Well, she doesn't make that face. She doesn't... look like that. She doesn't sound like that."

Mantis's face just screwed up even more. "She looks and sounds exactly like this," Eternity stated. "All of this is pulled from your own mind."

"No, I mean, yes, but not like that." This really wasn't what Peter had been planning to waste all of his time on. "Seeing someone I know so well behave so differently is... off-putting..."

"I see," Eternity murmured, though he still looked dubious. "I cannot remedy this, however, and we have more pressing matters to discuss with our limited time here. You will have to make do."

Peter blew a raspberry at that, but the divine being shoved into the petite and unassuming form of the Guardians' least violent member had a point.

"Have you had time to think further on my offer?" Eternity inquired.

To be honest, Peter hadn't. He'd been kept so busy this past cycle that while the knowledge of his last encounter with Eternity had never once really left his mind, he still hadn't found the time to sit down and decide what to say once he saw the cosmic being again.

"Not really, and I think I'm still not clear on what your offer is, exactly. A few vague promises of help and power, in exchange for... what? What exactly is my half of he deal here? I'm not into making magic deals where you steal my soul and put it in a jar for your collection or something."

A laugh burst from Eternity. "I need an agent in this plane. You are the most suited to that job. I do not need your soul in a jar. As long as you live, it is already mine anyways."

That did little to reassure Peter.

"You and I both want my sister thwarted. For now, isn't that enough?"

Peter narrowed his eyes. He hadn't been living as a Ravager for all these years for nothing. Eternity was clearly hiding something behind his back, but as things were now Peter had no way of forcing him reveal what it was. As much as the cosmic being gave him the heebie jeebies, though, he would be stupid to dismiss his help entirely. Peter would just have to go with it for now and watch his words carefully until Eternity tipped his hand. Historically, this wasn't his strong suit.

"But perhaps a small demonstration would be helpful. Trust is earned, after all, not given, and I am not above paying my dues. The next time you are practicing drawing on the Light, call to me as well. You may be pleasantly surprised by what occurs. Allow me to help you for now, and I will ask nothing in return."

"Just like that?"

"I believe in time you'll come to see my assistance is... invaluable."

"And then you can ask for whatever you want?"

"You are so determined to find something wicked in my help." Eternity clicked his tongue and shook his head as though disappointed in Peter. "Now, we are nearly out of time again, and there are other matters which demand our attention. I am always keeping an eye on the movements of the universe. My reach into this realm is limited without your aid, but lately I have found new stirrings in Thanos's army. As of yet, they have made no moves, but I fear they are gathering for something. My sister is preparing for the next step of her plan. Whatever it is, it seems it will require a great deal of power or care. I am hoping that if we can discover her intent and circumvent it, it may provide a way to cripple her efforts."

"So... what do you want us to do about it from here?"

"For now? Nothing you are not already working towards. Keep focusing on building your relationship with the Light. You will likely need it for the next step of your journey."

"Have you found anything about-"

"It is time to go." Eternity reached up to tap Peter lightly on the forehead and the world around him crumpled away.

-x-

Worn out from his long day and the missing hours of sleep from the night before, Peter was especially difficult to rouse the next morning. According to Groot, Mantis had spent a good several minutes knocking on his door with increasingly frantic words before Drax, with a total lack of regard for personal space, and perhaps in some small spirit of revenge, had merely shoved the door open and dragged Peter bodily from his mattress. Despite this, once awake, Peter was feeling rather well rested and refreshed. Even the cuts on his hands weren't itching like they had before, and the skin was knitting back together nicely. He was hopeful they wouldn't even noticeably scar once all was said and done.

Drax's wound, too, was healing swiftly, sped along by the break they had all been given on Ego's planet. While Gamora and Mantis returned to their stretches and warm up in the court, Drax sat at the top of the stairs where Nebula was helping him remove the metal stitches from his chest.

"And you're sure they're ready to all come out so soon?" Peter asked as he eyed the seam in the flesh where it was still growing back together. "You don't want to leave a few in for support?"

"It will be fine," Nebula muttered as she worked the next band free. She was using some sort of tool in her bionic hand to help break the bands apart before removing them. Two small holes at the start of the wound were still oozing blood from where Drax had been simply ripping the staples out before Nebula had taken over.

"We are doing nothing to aggravate it here," Drax added. "Besides, they have begun to itch."

"You won't strain it practicing with Gamora and Mantis?"

Nebula let out a loud snort that shook her shoulders. "A toddler wouldn't be strained at the rate they've been moving."

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Peter asked, tugging one leg up so he could rest his elbow against it.

"It's not," Nebula answered easily enough, but over her head Drax shared a look with Peter that showed the maniac believed her about as much as Peter did.

"It sure seems to be."

"There are six other life forms on this planet, Peter. Can't you go be nosy with someone else, and give me some peace for once." Nebula yanked out Drax's next staple with a bit more force than was probably necessary. A tiny dot of red beaded against the skin where it had been removed.

"Well yeah, sure," Peter said and Nebula seemed to relax just a fraction. "I mean, I won't, but I could."

"That's it!" Nebula pulled out the next staple in her hand a vicious twist and flicked it away as she rose to her feet. "I'm done."

"Hey!" Peter shouted, but Nebula was already stalking off. "Nebula, come back, I was joking! Nebula! Aaaaaand she's gone. Very mature."

"You could not have waited until she was finished?" Drax grumbled, plucking at the small handful of remaining staples.

"Sorry. Let me help with that."

-x-

Ego came not too long after Peter finished removing the staples from Drax's chest, and it was back to the court. As predicted, there was no more Pac Man statue.

They began with the usual routine of Peter summoning as much material as he could at one time while he chewed over Eternity's proposal from the night before in his head. He had no clue what was supposed to happen if he called on Eternity here. Wouldn't it just take him out of his body and drag him to that weird starscape land? That hardly seemed useful. He had a hard enough time getting anything done with his full attention on creating.

"It's improvement," Ego nodded to himself as he considered the twisting pile of rock before them, solid and shaped loosely to resemble the Milano, but barely any taller than Peter himself. "I think you could do more if you pushed yourself harder. Let's try again."

Peter let out a long breath and began gathering the Light again. This time, as he summoned it he tried to reach out for Eternity. At first nothing happened except a brief stuttering of the energy between his palms, and it took some time for Peter to figure out how to focus on both things at once. As he began building the next form out of stone, he felt the sensation of something reaching back for him. All at once, a tingling burned through his veins and the ball of Light in his hands seemed to burst into a life of its own and ripped wildly from his control.

"AHHH!" Peter yelped in surprise, leaping back as if he could bodily yank himself from the Light and stumbled, landing hard on his ass. The connection severed and the energy around him settled down, pooling from his body as quickly at it had come. "Whoah!" Where he had been building a reasonably sized statue a moment ago, there now loomed what would be more accurately described as a hill. The spiked edges of the pile of stone spilled beyond the edges of the court and loomed high above the surrounding forest. "Okay, well that's... Yeah, that's pretty useful."

Peter glanced up at Ego, who was standing to the side, his face frozen like it had been etched from ice and his hands balled into tight fists as he stared at the miniature mountain of stone.

"How's that for improve-" he began, leaping to his feet only for the world to lurch around him, sending him tumbling right back down. Okay. Whatever that was was probably going to take some getting used to. Peter rose to his feet again, more carefully this time, as his legs trembled like jell-o underneath him. "Whew. I don't remember the Light having such a kick last time."

Perhaps, I overdid it. Eternity's voice, sounding something like Ego, but distant and warped like a message sent through the wrong channel, rang through Peter's head. I did not account for the natural amplification so close to Ego's core... The cosmic being sounded much more bemused than apologetic, but Peter was too busy being elated by his newfound power to feel insulted by that.

There was a long beat of silence then, save for the distant creaking of some trees straining under the new weight of his sudden assault. "I take it you have made contact with Eternity," Ego finally ground out through a tight jaw.

"Uh, yeah."

Ego gave a disdainful sniff and looked as if he had quite a few unpleasant things to say about that, but instead when he opened his mouth next the only thing that came out was a curt. "I see. I would suggest you think very carefully about whatever... help... he believes he can offer you."

Peter wanted desperately to point out the hypocritical nature of that comment coming from Ego, who had literally forced Peter to come here and accept the Celestial's version of 'help' under threat of his friend's safety, but when he turned his head to say something to that point, the world spun too quickly around him and he stumbled right back down to his knees.

"You are going to be useless for a while."

"No, no, I'm good." Peter heaved himself back upright, trying to be subtle about how he had to spread his shaking arms out slightly to find his balance again. "I can keep going, I'll just uh, tone it down a bit, maybe."

It is not a gift you should use carelessly, Eternities disjointed voice echoed through Peter's mind again, fainter now, like it was fading along with the sudden burst of Light through his veins. But it may come in handy along the way...

"Yeah, I would say so," Peter panted, shaking his head when Ego gave him another look. "Nothing. Where were we?"

End

Chapter 16 Preview: "...You're back early," Drax commented as Peter and Nebula returned to the group. He had been busy polishing his blades at the top of the steps, but had lowered them at the pair's approach.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked, scrunching his face at what Peter was sure looked like a rather dopey smile, but try as he might, he just couldn't seem to wipe it away..."

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Hello! Long time no post! I hope not too many gave up on me in my sudden absence. I'm back now, and while it may take me some time to get back into the swing of things, I'm still planning to finish this story and hope to work my way back to weekly updates in time. I also have the next chapter of Tenebris up, just in case anybody missed it.

I know this chapter may not be the most exciting one to return on, but it gets the ball rolling again! I'm excited to be back and finally get to continue on with these guys.

-OMaM