Dog Days Are Over
Seeing the beam of golden light barrelling towards them was one thing but having it shatter the glass before being overtaken by flashes of blue was another thing all together. It didn’t help that the Warlock grabbed Peter by the throat before throwing him against the back of the small vessel. Quickly recovering from the impact he was able to open his eyes in time to see quite the spectacle before him.
Just as fast as the Warlock had entered so had another, Thor seized Adam’s should and forcibly turned the man around as he swung a crackling fist of lighting across the man’s face resulting in a thunderous boom in the cramped ship. Gamora lurched for the controls and managed to stir them towards the docking bay.
“Lay a finger on him again and I will destroy you with a fury never seen by the nine realms.” Thor threatened, eyes flickering with divine electricity, as he loomed over the beaten golden figure “Who are you?” Adam asks spitting out a stream of blood as he witnessed his recently acquired pet cowering in the corner. “I am Thor, son of Odin and so long as I there is breath in my…” The god started his usual monologue only to witness the sight of the ship rapidly tumbling towards the dock.
Peter used the distraction and leaped for a large flashing panel, wildly swiping in the four digit code and slamming the lever down. With moments to think Peter reached for Gamora’s wrist with one hand and Thor’s with the other before pulling them both towards the suddenly open door and leaping for the foreign ground.
The ship continued to crash against through the docking area whilst the three all cascading down the floor into various heaps. Gamora more elegant than others as she executes a landing with surprising agility whereas Peter and Thor lack her finesse and instead fall into a familiar position. Peter’s head knocking onto a pair of metallic chest plates as he was wrapped in a protective embrace as they all heard the sound of an explosion destroying a corner of the dock.
Wincing at the sound of ringing fading from his ear, Peter slowly sits up before it truly sets in who he is on. He took in the sight of his ex-boyfriend and how he had changed from when they last saw each other.
Most obvious is the short hair. Something similar to the style the God had when they first met but he remembers vividly the times he’d listen to Thor go on about how important hair was Asgardians as having it taken from you unwillingly was one of the highest forms of humiliation. Yet to so Odinson with such short hair, after many a night of Quill learning to braid it just the way he wanted, was enough to retch as something buried at a shallow depth.
“Thanks for the save.” Peter says standing up and with a apprehensive step “You are welcome, I would not allow such villainy to hurt my lo- my friends.” Thor responds with an uncharacteristic shyness that appeared all the more apart after the usual display of heroism. It was only then that he noticed the bulk Thor had put on, his armour sticking out in a similar manner as to when he first officially joined the guardians.
Now it wasn’t as big but the godly muscles that Thor had out centuries of rigorous training into maintaining now had what looked like a healthy layer of padding but before he mentally note any more a pair of pods landed nearby with Rocket and Groot quickly scrambling out as the defeated hell spawns slump off the ships.
Rocket taking only a second to look between them all before raising a furry brow at them all “Come on. We have to find the others and get out of here before this whole place goes down with us in it.” Peter evades a question that remained unspoken. The rest of the guardians seem to accept it as they walk towards the large blast door ahead of them as Peter and Thor summoned their weapons in a flash of light.
Except it wasn’t the weapons that tore a hole through a nearby wall. No instead that was Nebula, Mantis and Drax riding on Abilisiks. “Huh, wasn’t expecting that.” Rocket shrugs “I am Groot?” The Flora Colossus asks “I don’t know. I was half expecting Nebula to have ripped Mantis’ head off.” The raccoon answers.
The others watch as the trio make their way over on the frankly horrific looking, rainbow spewing monsters. But any sense of fear of the creatures is replaced as Quill sprints over to where the others were hopping off the rolling, tentacled monsters before grabbing Nebula by the shoulders “Venom? I left him with you, where is he?” He asks as he eyes darted looking for any signs of the symbiote in a panicked hurry “It’s not with me. The infernal thing latched onto Drax and was more surprisingly useless.” Nebula answers but as Soon as she get’s Drax’s name out Peter jogs over to the man.
But Venom seemed to share the absolute distain of separation as it forced Drax forward before latching himself from its temporary host to its permanent one. Peter lets out a sound of pure relief as he feels the symbiotes presence mix with his own as a second stream of thoughts returns to his mind. Added to that Venom wrapped itself around Peter’s core, mentally vowing to never to separated again.
Quill barely managed to stay on his feet before taking a moment to refocus himself with a silent nod. “Let’s go.” He mumbles “We’re sick of this guy.” He adds shortly thereafter but Mantis speaks up “We can’t just leave the kids.” Causing Rocket’s eyes to flicker with pain “She right. We have to help the higher life them.” He suggests taking up arms.
“I agree with the rabbit.” Thor breaks causing Rocket to rolls his eyes. “Well I guess that means the Guardians are risking it with another suicide mission. Let’s go save some kids again.” Quill announces reapplying the earphones as rock music marks the beginning of the now traditional team walk. Each strutting towards the door as Drax steps ahead in order to pry it open in a overdramatic display of strength.
It flew apart as hinges and bolt leapt off of it onto the floor. Inside was a mass of hell spawns and guards that all jumped at the sight of the Guardians at the end of the hallway a they stood in their one hundred percent, totally not practiced and rehearsed poses. “Let’s get this over with.” Peter orders putting the volume at its max and as expected all hell broke loose.
Rocket fires the first shot hitting one of guards head on as Peter quickly throws the hammer down the centre of the room, lighting crackling and shocking numerous of the enemies with a flicker of blue. Stampeding ahead, Groot and Drax grab the nearest Hell spawn in Groot case as he send a wooden pike piercing through its chest as Drax dug his knives into the elbow of a guard before drawing them up and slicing at his neck in a swift and clean motion causing blood to spray out graphically.
The next to attack was Nebula as she readied her small blaster as she shot out a blast of energy from the nano-weave arm as Mantis abruptly pounced from beside her onto one of the guard’s shoulders, grabbing her hears and bellowing a war cry off “ATTACK!” before shots started to fire off in nearly every direction whilst she laughed like a madman. Seeing his chance, Rocket leapt atop the barked limb firing at any of the hostiles that were moving nearby and spotted as his gunshots were reflected as a glint in swing of an axe as Thor cut the head free off Groot’s target.
Scuttling around onto Groot’s shoulder, the Raccoon fires off a series of shots towards the abomination that loomed above Gamora and in doing so it gives the former hand of Thanos the chance to slice its it’s stomach open and quickly flick Godslayer towards another’s jaw sending it falling to the floor as she kicked it away, instantly adjusting her focus to another target.
With a crackle of thunder Peter called Mjolnir back to his whilst using the free one to telekinetically toss a cluster of the guards onto the room giving Venom the chance to lurch sharp tendrils at their hearts. And when they fell as lifeless weight the symbiote took its chance to momentarily form in order to enjoy an impromptu snack as it chewed down on the closet’s head. “Delicious.” It rumbled disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared “Gross for me, love.” Peter complains “Still delicious.” Venom repeats.
Just as Quill is shaking his head someone bumps into his back as a boom of air claps right next his ear. Turns out it was Thor as the God and Peter turned to face each other and for a moment everything felt slowed to a crawl. He couldn’t remember the last time he had the chance to see Thor in his element, the fight seeming to give him a renewed sense of purpose. Somehow he looked…relaxed?
Yet once again his confused staring was interrupted when a blade fell between them, a hell spawn deciding to break it up. Stepping back he channelled lightning from the hammer and cosmic energy into his fist and throwing it into the beast’s head in explosion of animalistic visera and little did he notice that Thor was doing the same until their gut-soaked hands met with their gazes shortly following suit. “It is great to see you in battle once more, still the warriors I know you are as well.” Thor compliments with an unsure smile, not fully confident with himself.
Peter took a deep breath and nodded “Rocket needed us and I honestly though this guy was going to have tougher stuff than these guys and so I brought you in but it honestly I don’t think it was all too needed.” Quill explains between throwing Mjolnir at the remaining hell spawns whilst Thor chopped one cleanly in half with a disheartened “Oh.” As he slowed for a moment. Venom near immediately yells at Peter “You are being too mean!” It silently yells as Quill process what he said, having been too occupied with the spectacle of Nebula having her neck, jaw and arms and broken before she effortlessly kills the enemies around and clicks all the parts into place.
On top of that there was a knife being thrown into someone’s thigh as Drax quickly attacked another in the same breath. “I didn’t mean for it too come out that badly.” Peter berates himself firing off his blaster at one of the remaining guards and then quickly turning back to face Thor with a confused expression as regret, fear and adrenaline and mixed together “Hey I didn’t mean for it come out like that. I’m glad you’re here. It’s just I was expecting more security is all.” Peter clarifies with each sentence being marked by the blast and sparks from his gun.
There is a moment of silence as everything once again seems to stop for a second as the two exchange a look as Peter sees all the vulnerability that Thor keeps locked away but had been clawing at him. The god picked up the axe and finishes off the final hell spawn by catching it with unoccupied hand and crushing its oversized neck with ease, ending the conflict with an unwanted fury. He’d learnt this before, he couldn’t just punch his problems and he had to talk about them sometimes even more so when he didn’t want to.
“You deserve a better explanation but now it’s the best time. When all this is done we can talk. I promise.” Quill says clipping the hammer it’s spot on his belt and he sensed Vee’s satisfaction at the promised action. “Good.” It purred sending warmth throughout Peter that the host relished as the post victory adrenaline wore off all to fast.
The hallway quickly grew silent as the Guardians looked around at their handiwork as somehow the small fluffy pet that the Warlock had acquired was sat atop the one of the cut in half bodies. Quill was able to feeling the pride all but beaming off Venom at the sight of the battles remains “Very good. Now we should sperate the heads for the bodies and set them into two piles.” It suggests looking around with its seemingly permanent fanged smile.
“Now is not the time. What we need to fan out and find the people, after that we break them out and bring everyone to docking point. Now move it!” He instructs as the others quickly divide and conquer searching for any of the numerous species that the High Evolutionary kept aboard his vessel and yet Rocket had a different plan.
He rushed towards where he knew the High Evolutionary kept the children but one hallway tuned into another and soon enough he back where he’d spent so much of time his time here. Surrounded by pens and frightened, tortured animals that were shivering in the dark corned edges of their cells and Rocket can’t help but let his feet guide him where they may.
And soon enough he stands before a cage occupied by various small brown, grey and white, fuzzy and fearful creatures. Creatures that looked just like him. With a shaky grip he pulled the recycled keycard from his belt and raised it to the lock, only hesitating for a split second before sliding through causing sparks to flicker as the door weakly opened from the squeaking, rusted hinges.
Within were numerous big eyed tiny creatures that looked at Rocket with a sense of familiarity born from instinct. Yet when he looked aside to the door there was something he wasn’t expecting, a simple metal platform that stated:
Origin: North America
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cordata
Genus: Procyon
Species: Procyon Lotor
Common Name: Raccoon
Rocket was unable to form any words as his focus shifts to the small raccoons, no bigger than he was when he’d been subjected to the experimentation. Stepping forward he reached his arms out and began to shuffle the young animals onto his shoulders and back before stepping away. And making his way towards the exit but only makes it a few steps before looking around at the others. Numerous cages were around all occupied with various species.
Grabbing the keycard once again he prepared to unlock them only for a certain someone he never wanted to see again was shouting down the halls. “You thought you could escape me? NO!” The High Evolutionary screams manipulating the gravity to slam Rocket into the ceiling, after the younger ones had scattered. He quickly followed it by throwing him across to the adjacent room’s central device causing Rocket to cry out in pain.
“You think you have some worth within yourself without me? NO!” The madman bellows slamming Rocket across the room into the mental door with a crash “You are an abomination! Nothing more than a step on MY PATH! You freakish little monster, 89P13! How dare you think you are more!” The man declares as Rocket struggles to move his hand down towards his boots before eventually managing to press the switch as he suddenly lands firmly on the floor and draws his gun in an instant.
“The name’s Rocket.” He calmy defies “Rocket Raccoon.” He finishes before shooting his tormentor, sending the flarking bastard across the room with the blast shattering a piece of the man’s armour. Enraged, the High Evolutionary scrambles to his feet and runs at Rocket only to have an elongated branch stab into his other shoulder pushing the man into the arm’s of Drax who promptly throws the man into the air before slamming his down just as fast.
He then punches the High Evolutionary across the jaw, sending him into the air where he is met by a blast of lightning from Thor as the others make themselves known. Getting shocked it doesn’t end for the man there as he is quickly seized by a collection of tendrils from Vee before being slammed into the floor once more and promptly shot by his blaster a moment after.
Running into Mantis leaps up before raining down on the High Evolutionary with a kick the chest that pushes him right into Nebula aim where a superheated blast of energy causes the man to be knocked into Gamora’s grasp. Her word quickly finding a new sheath as it is buried into the High Evolutionary’s stomach.
Drawing it back, she spots the flab of skin hanging from the man’s face and starts to peel it away to reveal the bloodied remains of what once was the High Evolutionary’s true face. No nose, eyelids clawed away, lips all but non-existent. And once the mask was removed, the man behind all the pain collapsed to the ground. “His face came off!” Drax exclaims in disgust “It’s just a mask.” Rocket points out scowling at the High Evolutionary as he looked back at downfall “Look what you did to me.” He sputters out.
“All I wanted to do was to make thing perfect.” He cries out but Rocket shakes his head “You didn’t want to make things perfect, you just hated things as they were.” Rocket deduces before turning his attention away back to the cages “We have to rescue all of them.” Rocket repeats “I mean all of them.” He adds “All the higher lifeforms are already in Knowhere.” Peter explains.
Rocket shakes his head once “Them.” He echoes himself pointing at the animals “Of course.” Peter just nods “Will Knowhere have room? We just took one a couple hundred kids.” Nebula questions “we’ll make room.” The raccoon answers. Vee just unhelpfully laughs before muttering “We are going to make Noah’s ark again.” It excitedly decides “Why not? Alright people get to work opening these cages and try your best to funnel the animals to Knowhere.” Peter orders as they divide and conquer.
After all they’ve been through why not make a sequel to Noah’s ark?
---
It only took a few moments and soon enough they were all running down the halls towards Knowhere with an army of various Terran and alien species but soon enough everyone had managed to get to the edge where the High Evolutionary’s ship, it’s owner even having being brought along with the Guardians, and Knowhere but as they got closer the gap between the two was growing larger and larger by the second.
“Hurry it up people, we gotta go now!” Rocket shouts leaping over the gap towards the struggling Cosmo, who’s power was starting to fail. The remainder of the Guardians managed to make it across only for Peter to drop the his Zune moments before jumping. “Oh come on.” He pants at the sight before jogging back and sticking his arm out, tentacles immediately lashing out and seizing the small device before helpfully placing it back into Quill’s hand and forcing the fingers to tighten around it.
He can sense its determination as they sprint towards the edge “Don’t drop it again.” It advices forming around it’s host to function as a protective barrier “I don’t know if we’ll get the chance.” Peter responds seeing Cosmo collapse in the distance and Knowhere grows further and further away. His own anxiety and dread mixed with Venom’s compensatory confidence. Together they reached the edge and leapt forward and used the force from the series of explosions to propel them forward yet it was for naught when they came to a gradual stop.
Expecting a similar experience his first time in the Vacuum of space, Peter braced himself. Shutting their eyes and clenching their fists but there was no cold and their breath wasn’t stolen. Instead there was only warmth as the pair floated through space.
It was almost peaceful.
The feeling of weightlessness and silence made all the worry melt away for a moment as all they had in that moment was each other and it was okay.
Opening their eyes all around them was the spectre of a the luminous stars and coloured nebula’s. Yet before they could forget about everything there is a hand being placed against their claws. Slowly looking over they saw those mismatched eyes looking softly back at them “Enjoying yourself?” Thor asks with a slight smirk “You could say that.” They answer slightly tightening their grip where there hands met. “Well I think the other are getting worried.” Thor mentions slowing starting to lead them back towards Knowhere.
When they got back the pair decide to unceremonious sit on the floor like a child before asking “Did we look cool.” The others manage to get out various exhausted laughs “Very cool.” Rocket huffs as Venom disappears leaving an amused Peter sat on the floor as his head hung tiredly “Now what do we do with all these kids and animals onboard?” He asks as everyone looks back at the massive crowd of newcomers.
“We’ll figure something out.” Rocket nods before smiling with renewed purpose.
At least he’d finally done something good with his life, liberating prisoners from a madman’s torture ship would have that effect.
---
A day later and things had started to settle down. Even if the kids were flooding the open space, they were glad they had managed to get everyone out alive and in one piece. The guardians has split into smaller groups as the ‘morning’ began. Peter and Vee had decided to have a talk with Thor after their time apart.
They decided that the best place to talk would be one of the few places that the kids had been specifically told not to go: The bar. Inside it was just the lot of them with Thor shuffling nervously on his seat as doing one his regular prosthetic eye adjustments even if only to cover up the poorly disguised fidgeting. “I gotta be honest with you Thor, I never thought I would see you with short hair again.” Peter comments looking up from the drink of water, only chosen because this whole adventure had made him reconsider his impending alcoholism. “Ah yes. It did it only recently. It was getting too long and Valkyrie suggested a new start so…off it came.” Thor recounts.
Quill was sure that it wasn’t the entire truth but knew that if he tried to pry then it probably wouldn’t- “That’s not true. Since you left, the long hair just reminded of all those time and well reminiscing lead to drinking and drinking to not caring and when she saw it happening again she then suggested it was time start over.” Thor blurts out looking away towards “Oh.” Peter mutters taking an awkward drink from the glass.
“Did we do that by leaving?” Venom asks “I don’t know, love but we can try to help.” Quill non-answers sitting up “I know that none of us here are the best with our words but I do know that back when I left you I did it terribly. I thought I knew what would be best for all of us but it seems that I was majorly wrong. Without you everything felt muted.” He starts facing Thor or the god hesitantly looks back “We missed you, man. You’re loud cheering, you’re jokes, you’re stories, we missed waking up to the sight of you and going to bed with you right there beside us.” He confesses meeting the amber-blue eyes.
Thor gives him a weak smile “I missed you too. Everything was too quiet without you.” He quietly returns “I can not recall my home being filled with song since you left.” The god adds with a small self-deprecating laugh “Well it’s music your looking for we’d like the think that Rocket hasn’t messed up my playlists too much.” Peter comments grabbing the Zune from his pocket and contemplated it for a moment before holding it out towards Thor “Go on, check it out. I’m sure you’ll find you favourite band. Led Zepplin right?” He offers and as Thor goes to grab it the shared touch lingers between them.
The familiar electric spark, all but visible, between them once again crackles with renewed energy, “Kiss him.”Venom urges silently and Peter knows he wants to deep down, wants nothing more that to move closer, lean in and feel that connection to his very core but knew that neither of them were clearly in the mental state to go diving back into being a couple. “We need to have real talk about us.” He ominously starts.
“I see. If you wish for me to leave I would understand.” Thor starts preparing to stand and leave but Quill reaches out grabbing his hand in an instant “Oh my god, no! Thor there is nothing we want more than to be back with you but I just had some thoughts on it as all man, I do not want you to leave.” Peter quickly corrects urging Thor to sit once more.
Quill takes a second to gather his thought “Be honest. You have already made the worse happen before so we will be ready to deal with it, should you do it again.” Vee instructs “Great pep talk.” Peter thinks before getting a move on “I was thinking that I like you a lot still and I think I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t tell you that I want to give us another chance but if we were to do that I think we’d have to start over. You know? Learn the little things again and then build up to the big stuff.” Peter revealed bracing himself for Thor’s reaction.
The silence was deafening as Thor’s expression become unreadable before his eyes started to tear up as a large, relieved smile appeared “I would love nothing more than that, Peter Quill.” The god choked out wiping the tears of joy away hastily. “What about me?” Venom butted in, forming over Quill’s shoulder “Ah I have not forgotten you. All my sentiments are towards the both of you.” Thor explains watching as Vee happily nods to itself.
Peter decide that whilst he may not be ready much beyond simple hand holding he was willing to indulge in what he could. Reaching over the table he laced their hands together once more, content with the familiar sensation. “So what are we going to listen to?” He asks placing on of the earphones into place and handing the other to Thor “Well never have I used such a small device for music.” He stumbles pressing random buttons “This one!” He decides roughly pressing play as the sound of Florence and The machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’ began to play.
The three of them were too caught up to be aware of the fact that as the music came though the earphone so too did it play over the Speakers of Knowhere.
Peter finally felt what he been missing for the years they spent apart, once more he was filled with pure, unadulterated and simple joy.
But in the back of his head a nagging though emerged. One whispering that he can’t lead the guardians and be in such a convoluted relationship and he knew that deep down it was true. Then again who said he had to be the one to do.
He knew just the right trash panda for the job and as fate would have it Rocket had just arrived at the bar with the rest of the Guardians accompanying him.
No time like the present right?