Dancing On My Own
Soon enough after re-boarding, Nebula quickly got to work inspecting the weird orb for information as the guardians gathered around the unconscious body of Rocket. It only took a few moments before she was using her arm to download the information from the frankly gross and disgusting piece of stolen technology.
“Did you learn anything?” Mantis inquires from across the room as she wipes away the blood from Drax’s beaten face. “Yes. There is a figure mentioned here. Goes by the name ‘Theel’. He is a recorder for the high evolutionary and is currently stationed on a distant planet. I’ll upload the coordinates.” She explains in a monotone, automated voice as her eyes cloud over is a digital static.
The following sigh of relief is shared amongst all but one as the guardians begin to get ready to move forward with helping Rocket. “Got them!” Peter shouts from where he was jogging towards the cockpit before sliding onto the seat in front of the terminal as he began pressing in a series of keys “Help me out here, buddy. Tell the others to suit up because this place isn’t on any maps. God knows what’s out there.” He instructs.
Vee emerges and flicks a few switches and pushes a certain selection of buttons before an uncomfortable discordance breaks the uncomfortable silence “Peter says to prepare. Wait do this mean it’s time for the matching costumes?” It announces over the loud speaker, getting a side eye from its host “I mean, sure the others will probably wear the uniforms considering their options are either day old clothes, the jumpsuits and the uniforms but we have like the magic armour and then your odd ability to make clothes.” Peter explains.
Venom seems to contemplate for a moment before nodding to itself “We should wear the uniform, matching outfits are very badass.” It decides before watching as the ship rapidly increase in speed until it its shooting through the stars and everything beyond the glass turns into a tunnel of dream like light and patterns that would drive an Terran artist wild.
The flurry of pinks, blues and whites were something that it wasn’t sure it would get quite used to even after travelling through the rainbow bridge between realms that is the Bifrost. Yet its amazement and joy is dampened by a sense of unhappiness…of loneliness. “Why are you lonely? We are on a ship with all our friends and you have me.” Venom asks curiously “I don’t know, man I guess it’s just human stuff.” Quill weakly answers grabbing his Zune and walking to the top of the cockpit whilst refusing to elaborate.
The symbiote however doesn’t seem to like the answer and decides to keep prying. “We can not care for each other if you do not explain what is bothering you but you don’t like me going through your thoughts.” Vee continues, materialising as various small worried tendrils that lace around Quill’s fingers as that loneliness was turned into a faint guilt “I know you want to help but sometimes humans just feel bad and there isn’t much reason to it.” Peter continues to try and deflect.
“But there is a reason, isn’t there.” Venom continues somehow quiet yet deafening.
It wasn’t wrong, hell it was probably the most accurate thing any of them had said all day. Yet Quill was still unable to admit that everything was just piling up and up and up until he felt like was drowning in nothing but misery and loneliness. But he knew that no matter which he chose to stay with, the feeling would be the same no matter if they stuck with Thor or not.
“Shit, why did everything have to get so complicated- I mean how the hell did we go from five idiots trying to sell some rock to gods, infinity gauntlets, time travel, hell even celestial powers and all that crap. It feels like I haven’t stopped moving since that moment meeting Ego.” Quill suddenly blurts out “I just want everything to go back to being everyone together like it used to be but were all so different and so much has changed that it’s just…fuck.” His voice starts to crack.
Vee is quick to respond by forming most of its full form’s top half to pull its host into a tight, almost all consuming hug that Peter has to forcefully stop himself from crying into as the crushing weight of reality sets in. “I’m sorry, I should’ve said something sooner, love.” He mutters grasping and clutching at the symbiote and he felt it coil around his heart. “It’s alright. You know we’re here for you. We always will be.” Venom whispers “Even when you think we won’t understand we will try.”
“That’s because you need me to live.” Peter weakly laughs.
“Because we love you.” Venom reminds its host as a spark of that love manages to get past the stress, guilt and sadness as for a moment Peter feels genuine unfiltered joy. Venom there shortly after removes itself before returning back to within Peter before it may or may not have enhanced that small moment of elation into a longer but more subtle emotional warmth as Peter smiled to himself feeling the tendrils of his fingers tighten slightly.
Across the room Drax and Mantis were concocting a plan. “So you will go over to him and then you will say exactly what we practiced and then he will be cheer up.” Mantis instructs fiddling with the leather fingerless gloves to get the comfortable. Drax shakes his head “Alright I don’t understand why you can’t do it.” He says revising the words in his head.
Striding across the room Drax comes to an eventual stop beside Quill as he places his hands on his belt “Peter.” He starts getting the captains attention “Life is a pond and you spend your entire life jumping from person to person like they are lily pads when perhaps what you need to do is learn how to swim.” He recites flawlessly as a quiet sound of hands clapping is audible into the corner. “That actually makes sense, not really relevant but it makes sense.” Peter compliments a bit bewildered by the unthought of event. “Of course it made sense.” Drax retorted, not offended but happily “Well it’s just an analogy and we didn’t think you were capable of them.” Quill smirks for a second.
Drax’s joy immediately drops “Of course I am capable of analogies and metaphors, Quill.” Before momentarily looking off to the side “Like this: Gamora’s head is like a lily pad because it is green, analogy.” He says with a booming confidence as Quill raises an uncertain brow “But also because she is flabby and small and made of a lead, metaphor.” Drax adds.
The captain just nods to himself for a moment “Ok.” He mutters slightly annoyed as he tried to escape the conversation before it could get any worse but all he was greeted with was the sight of a distraught Mantis who looked ready to crawl into a ball and cry on the floor with second hand embarrassment as she held her head in her hands. “Hi Mantis.” Venom gleefully waves a tendril from over its host's shoulder “Alright I see what’s going on here. You two have fun, I’m going to get dressed.” Peter explains before placing the earphones back in and walking away holding his hand close to his heart.
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It’s a few minutes later when he returns to cockpit, this time with all his gear worn in a slightly clunky and very noisy display before taking his seat in the captain’s chair. “Alright people, we’re arriving at the destination in three…two…one.” He announces before the ship arrives in the atmosphere of what looks like the one place that Quill both wanted to return to and to never have to see again.
“It can’t be…” Mantis trails off remembering a certain festive expedition.
“Is that Earth?” Peter questions eyeing the familiar green and blues.
Of course that’s what the place these assholes were hiding on.