Chapter 4
Sleepless nights are nothing new for Peter. After spending years sharing a bed with Gamora, sleeping in one without her is something he still hasn’t gotten used to. Besides, the memories from Knowhere coming back to him right before going to bed definitely did not help.
The sobs coming from her room were arguably even worse than his dreams. Thinking about Gamora being in any pain is the worst, but knowing she’s actively in pain right now breaks his heart. He wasn’t surprised by her rejection, unfortunately.
This morning went great, though. He was prepared for Gamora to be on guard after last night, yet she indulged him anyway. He’s happy she tried pancakes and french toast, even admitting a preference in them, she shared something about her homeworld and then he’s not even talking about her cradling his cheek. He’s over the moon!
Yes, there have been some… incidents. But really, this is going great. Gamora is still here and he knows that means more than anything. Her defenses are up, her walls as high and strong as ever. There are some slight cracks in them, though. And he knows he has to carefully maneuver through them for her to open up more. He’s done this before and he can do it again.
He just has to keep reminding himself of that. It’s been so long since Gamora has been defensive like this around him. If she didn’t want to tell him something, or talk about it, she wouldn’t. But she was aware he respected and loved her enough to allow her that space. She never needed to be on guard, ready to fight for herself. Over the years, he was still learning new stuff about her. Sure, she’s always remained quite private about her past with Thanos, but he knew what he needed to know.
Except for what had actually mattered. That one thing she had kept from everyone around her, even him.
That one secret that had cost her her life.
He huffs, and picks up his holo. Anything to keep him busy to stop him from spiraling. Gamora is still here, with him, and she can live the life that asshole has taken from her.
Well, she’s not technically here with him right now. Gamora told him she wanted to go and check on her ship, so she left a few minutes ago. His grandfather is still out, which leaves Peter all alone.
He fiddles with his holo for a bit, replying to some messages from the team. Eventually, he lands on Nebula and he feels the overwhelming feelings from the previous night return. Gamora had told him she and Nebula had talked, which is how she ended up here on Earth. Whatever it is that they had talked about, Nebula was very much aware Gamora was on her way here. And Peter definitely could’ve used a heads up on that.
His fingers move over the keyboard quickly. He doesn’t know when she’ll reply, nor is he sure whether he’s about to thank her for saying whatever it is she said to Gamora or whine that she should’ve informed him.
Hey.
Nebula replies quickly, What?
He scoffs, rude! His attitude picks back up right away, apparently not thanking her right now.
Oh, I was just texting to make sure you still understand how the holos work. Since.. oh I don’t know, Gamora randomly showed up at my door in the middle of the night while you gave her a ship, my coordinates and didn’t ever feel like maybe texting me.
Moron.
That’s it? That’s so not fair! She does not get to call him that right now! He rushes to reply, about to tell her exactly that – but she definitely will not respond. He’s sure of it.
It’s not like Peter is mad. How could he be? After all, she’s somehow brought the love of his life back to his doorstep. He ought to thank her for that, he knows, so even if she won’t reply he sends her a message anyway.
Whatever you did, thank you.
Don’t screw it up.
Well.. that’s fair too, he supposes. He would respond that he won’t, but is interrupted by the front door opening.
Before he realizes what he’s doing, he rushes towards it with a big smile on his face. His heart beat is steady, but slightly more accelerated by excitement -- like it always is when he’s about to see Gamora. That has never changed over the years. How could he ever get used to someone like Gamora?
“Woah there Pete!” His grandpa exclaims after he nearly ran into him, “I’ve only been gone a couple of hours.” He laughs, amused and also clearly confused by Peter’s enthusiasm.
“Oh!” Is all Peter says, a little thrown off guard by his grandfather suddenly being there. He was fully expecting Gamora, considering she’d been gone for nearly half an hour now. The ship is close and with its size it’s an easy and quick check up round.
He snaps out of it soon enough when he hears his grandpa struggle carrying everything he got from the market inside. He rushes over to him, “Here, let me get that.” He takes the paper bags from him and puts them on the kitchen table.
“Hey, Pete–” his grandpa starts, but is interrupted by the door opening again. The look of confusion on his face is followed by a flash of fear, and it is right then that Peter realizes what’s about to happen.
“Fuck.”
Gamora walks in casually, clearly unaware of his grandpa, and starts talking. “The ship is good. I wouldn’t want–” She stops dead in her tracks when she makes eye contact with Peter’s grandpa. Then Peter, and back to his grandpa again.
It’s silent for a while, none of them moving or saying anything. Peter’s mind is reeling, trying to come up with any sort of reasonable explanation for this. Firstly, Gamora looks anything but Terran, so he’s gonna have to explain that she did in fact arrive last night. Then, he’s going to have to tell him she’s been staying here, then–
His grandpa’s voice is loud as he’s the first one to speak up, “Heya, you must be Peter’s girl!”
Peter feels his throat run dry and eyes widen, Gamora mimics him exactly.
“What?”
“What?”
They exclaim at the same time, both equally surprised and probably embarrassed.
It takes a bit for Peter to understand where his grandpa is coming from, but then he finally understands. He’s told him about Gamora when he’d asked about the special people in his life. He’d tried not to talk too much about Gamora, sure he’d be spiraling if he would. Gamora is everything to him, so he couldn’t just not bring her up. He had conveniently left out the part where she was no longer in his life, at least not like that.
He lied and said Gamora was taking care of the Guardians for him, too busy running Knowhere to accompany him on his trip back to earth. It did end up allowing him to talk about how much he misses her, which felt nice. His grandpa was the first person in a long time to whom he could just talk about her to. He had missed talking about her like that so much.
Peter told him stories of how she thought of Kevin Bacon as a hero, how she’s the biggest badass in the galaxy, the way he had explained Star Wars to her… he could talk about her like she was still alive. Like in a few days, they’d be waking up together in their bed in their shared room on the Quadrant.
It wasn’t like he was trying to wrong this Gamora. He’s grateful to have her in his life again now, and with that anything that she’s willing to give him. He happily accepts her friendship if that’s what she wants. Gamora has always been his best friend, and he truly misses her more than anything.
That doesn’t mean he can’t also miss everything else with her. Their slow mornings, filled with sleepy kisses and cuddles, brushing her hair and braiding it for her, sweet whispers and gentle touches.
To be fair, he wasn’t aware Gamora would be joining him here on earth. He would’ve definitely explained more about their current situation in advance, in that case. He feels guilty now. He’s been trying his hardest to not make Gamora feel like he’s forcing her back into a romantic relationship with him –- like his love for her is conditional. He loves her more than anything, regardless of how she feels about him. He cares for her always, and wants her to have everything good in life. Whether they’re romantically involved or not.
Right now, that plan seems to have epically failed. She’s clearly feeling uncomfortable now, and probably thinks he’s been talking about her like she’s his girlfriend to everyone. He wants to tell her he doesn’t, that he would never disrespect her like that, but perhaps he’s already failed at that now. He wants to tell her he didn’t mean it like this, that he just wanted someone to talk to, but he says nothing. For now.
Somewhere far away, he realizes Gamora has started moving towards his grandfather. For a second, he briefly fears for his grandpa’s life. He knows she can perfectly well let anything anyone calls her slide, much to his frustration in the past, but this time it’s different. He’s not insulting her –- at least he really hopes she doesn’t take being his girl as an insult, which in that case, ouch.
He knows Gamora wouldn’t harm him, though. Deadliest assassin in the galaxy or not. But his fear quickly reignites as her glare moves from his grandpa to him. He’s not scared of Gamora, he knows she wouldn’t actually hurt him. He wasn’t scared even when she did end up pushing him harshly against the wall – and that hasn’t changed. However, he can definitely imagine her putting a knife to his throat right now, which he honestly wouldn’t even blame her for. Maybe some light stabbing if she's truly frustrated....
He is afraid that it would scare his grandpa so bad he might get a heart attack or something. He also doesn't want to scare off Gamora anymore than he already has now.
She’s not moving, though, instead she’s still glaring at him. He knows Gamora is the most deadliest woman in the galaxy, and he doesn’t even try to deny how attractive she looks right now, but he really needs to focus and defuse this situation quickly.
Words fail him again, and he’s left gaping like a fish. His grandpa surely is getting suspicious and he knows he needs to say something soon or he truly won’t be able to talk himself out of this.
Gamora ends up saving him, as usual, and finds her voice before he does. “Yes. Apologies, my customs are very different.” She doesn’t move in for a hug or shake his hand or anything, barely even manages a tight lipped smile, but she really just talked their way out of this and he’s finding it hard to not rush in and kiss her again. Her response is short, but enough for him to snap back to reality.
“Ah, forgive me. I meant no offense.” His grandpa clearly didn’t get the hint and wraps his arms around her. Peter thinks he might just like playing with his heart rate like this, because it’s suddenly sky rocking again. Gamora really doesn’t do well with unwanted physical touch. He’s learned that the hard way.
She surprises him, which does absolutely nothing to stop him from continuing to gape at her, as she politely returns the hug. She’s quite obviously lacking the enthusiasm for it, but she’s able to mask it well enough for it to go unnoticed by his grandpa.
They separate and his grandpa turns to Peter, “Pete, you’re old enough for a girlfriend. Don’t need to sneak them in!” He laughs loudly, while Peter visibly cringes and turns bright red.
Even Gamora laughs softly, so he guesses it’s worth it, whether it’s at his expense or not.
“I’ll be out of your hair again, if you can put these away for me. It’s Sunday, which means I have to go and meet with the neighbors.” He points towards the bags on the table, but continues before Peter can answer, “Hey, got some flowers for your girl! You’re a good man, Pete.” He claps him on the back.
Peter physically shakes out of it now, “Okay, grandpa, yeah thanks. We got it from here! Have fun!” He follows his grandpa out the door, who definitely looks pleased by embarrassing his grandson. Why exactly is everyone against him today?
Peter sighs in relief once the door closes, he’s gonna have to fix this fast. He turns around and quite literally jumps as he nearly runs into Gamora, who apparently followed him here and is now very close to him. “Jesus– Gamora!” His voice is higher than usual.
She’s looking up at him expectantly, “What was that?” She growls. Moving towards him.
He backs up against the door, face dark red, “Well, you said you liked the flowers–”
Gamora’s groan interrupts him, “Not that.” she says, followed by an eyeroll.
“Oh you mean that small thing where my grandpa thought you were my girlfriend? Pff, that?” He says, trying to sound as casual as possible. He’s doing a terrible job, he knows. He has always been really bad at this stuff around Gamora. Normally, he could talk his way out of nearly anything –- but there’s something about her that makes it impossible for him.
“Peter.” She says warningly.
Or, it’s supposed to be a warning. Usually he would definitely snap out of it and tell her what she wants to know, but he feels his heart race for an entirely different reason. She hasn’t called him Peter before, only referring to him as Quill. So, yes, he’s a little over the moon right now.
It’s certainly not helping that she’s as close to him as this morning. Closer even. He could count her lashes if he wanted, he’s done so many times, but always got distracted by the rest of her before he could finish. He grasps his hands together, trying to physically fight the urge to gently trace the silver scars adorning her face. The soft gold hue surrounding her eyes, those dark eyes he could get lost in for hours. The way she’s looking at him like…
….. Like she actually might kill him. Right, he pissed her off. It’s really not the first time he’d gotten distracted by her, even during moments like this. Sometimes, when their argument wasn’t that serious, she wouldn’t mind and got a little shy even. Now however…
“Look, let me explain!” He waits for her to nod before continuing, “I was a little busy trying to explain the whole aliens exist thing and spaceships and the fact that my dad was a fucking god that I hadn’t really gotten to the part where my girlfriend died and then came back from another timeline with no recollection of me!”
He’s out of breath by the time he’s finished and feels sick suddenly. The words he spat out, that Gamora had died. He wasn’t angry, but his tendency to ramble when he’s under pressure is also there when he’s frustrated or upset. He spats out words he’s not even aware of, not until it’s too late.
He knows it’s not like he’s offended Gamora with this, but he realizes this might be the first time he had actually said this out loud. Gamora died. His nausea gets worse and he suddenly wishes he hadn’t scarfed down his breakfast.
His eyes start welling up but goddamnit not now. He cannot keep crying over her like this when she’s right there in front of him. He doesn’t know how to deal with this. How to grieve someone that is alive, but merely lacks their shared memories. He can’t pretend Knowhere never happened, or their conversation prior, nor that moment on Titan where he found out.
Of course, she hasn’t lived through that. She’s aware that in another timeline, she died on Vormir by Thanos’ hands. He’s not sure how much Nebula has told her and has no clue how to ask. The less she knows, the better. She doesn’t deserve to ever go through that pain again.
The taste of blood stops his overthinking and he realizes he’s been biting his lip in an attempt to stop himself from crying. It worked, though when he meets Gamora’s eyes he knows it wasn’t enough to hide the rest of it — the pain, the grief, the sadness, all of it clearly prominent on his face.
It’s really hard keeping his tears at bay, especially when Gamora’s eyes are softer than he’s yet seen from her. There’s an understanding, instead of rage at a comparison between her and her counterpart. She doesn’t say anything, nor does she have to. This is enough, more than. Having her here is everything he needs.
His breathing returns to normal. Gamora has a grounding and reassuring presence as always, but it’s strongly encouraged by the look on her face. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees her hand twitch. Almost as if she wants to reach out to him, maybe repeat this morning. She refuses and he doesn’t bring it up.
His voice is hoarse when he speaks up, “I’m sorry, about that. I didn’t—“
“It’s okay.” She cuts him off, voice stern but nothing close to before. Gamora tends to use this when she’s either very determined or sure of something. It leaves no room to argue with her, and she makes sure whoever she’s talking to knows this.
Peter obeys, and gives her a nod as a way of thanking her. Gamora smiles at him and he feels his heart warm up again.
She looks conflicted, and Peter once again fights the urge to caress her cheek, to touch her in any way. He wants to reassure her, to tell her she can always tell him whatever is troubling her. He’ll listen. Always.
Gamora’s expression changes into one of determination before she starts talking. “I… obviously don’t know what you’ve been through with… her.” She looks troubled again, but continues, “But, I do understand the way death haunts you.”
Peter softens at that, but stays silent. He can tell she wants to say more, he sees the flash of vulnerability in her eyes.
This is often how it’s been for them. To anyone else it might seem like their personalities would clash regularly, but they complement one another in a way many people can’t see. This, however, has always been the same for them. They differ in many things, but not this.
The vulnerability they share among each other was something they’d found early on, back on that balcony on Knowhere. His heart swells at the realization that nothing could ever change this between them, timelines be damned.
“When I was on your ship with Rocket and everything was on fire… I was reminded of my homeworld.” Peter sees her fidget, her thumb rubbing her ring finger, a habit she rarely ever shows. He swallows the lump down this throat as he’s reminded of the absence of her rings, which she also seems to remember as she halts her movements. He wonders what happened.
“All the fire around me… it was just like that day.” She has a distant look in her eyes. This time, he doesn’t fight the urge to reach out to her. He slowly moves his hand towards her own. His heart skips a beat when he sees her twitch, but she doesn’t move away. Just like that first night on Knowhere.
He smiles at her, but her eyes are focused on his hand. That’s okay. Regardless of how much she trusts him or not, she hasn’t moved away from him. At least she knows he wouldn’t harm her -- or she might just be fully confident in being able to rip away from him if she wishes. Either way, he'll take it.
“I’m sorry you had to be reminded of that.” He whispers. Her eyes move back up to his and he smiles at her, absolutely delighted when she returns it. It’s small, careful and sad — yet as beautiful as ever.
Her gaze moves back towards their intertwined hands and he knows she must’ve realized what he was thinking before. He’s worried he has scared her off again, any second now and she’ll rip away from him. He didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable, but she’s able to see through him in a way no one else ever has. Even now.
He wishes she had moved away from him now, instead he watches the way her lower lip starts wobbling slightly. The hitch in her breath follows and he knows it’s taking everything in her not to cry right now.
“Hey,” Peter says softly, not sure what else to tell her. His free hand moves up to her cheek, even slower than before, and to his utter dismay she turns her head, rejecting his touch. She refuses to let him comfort her. He shouldn’t be surprised, he knows how hard it was for her at first to allow herself any type of comfort – let alone emotional one. Still, she deserves nothing less and it kills him that she can’t see this. He tries to ignore the way his heart breaks at that, and wonders if she heard it shatter.
Her hand doesn’t pry from his hold, which evidently means she wants him to stay. He shudders as he remembers the way he ripped his arm away from her touch back on their way to the High Evolutionary. Her touch was burning, just like now, but everything around him is warm now. In contrast to the freezing skin she’d burned before, not knowing the effects she has on him.
She probably still doesn’t, but he’s surely shown her at least a glimpse of it. At least she’s aware.
With those memories, he tightens his hold on her hand, lacing his fingers together with hers. And she lets him.
She doesn’t meet his eyes, though. And he lets her.
They’re communicating through a much deeper connection now, on a level Peter has never had with anyone else. Fleeting touches and shared looks is more than enough to understand each other, to create and respect each other’s boundaries.
“I sold them.” She says in a rush, voice so quiet he almost missed it. Almost, if she wasn’t her and he didn’t listen to her like he always does.
The fact that his heart is still beating is truly a miracle, judging by the way it breaks all over again. The quiver in her voice brings him to tears. He knows how much Gamora loves her rings.
“I needed the money.” Gamora moves back, but doesn’t let go of his hand. She shrugs in an attempt to come across as casual, something very rare on her — more likely to be seen on him.
It hurts to watch her defenses go back up, but he knows she’s uncomfortable with being vulnerable like this. It got easier over the years, but even then it could still be a challenge for her.
Gamora’s rings are a part of her, she’s had them for as long as he’s known her. He’s seen her without them, of course, she liked to take them off before going to bed — feeling safe enough to leave them on their shared nightstand. He’s memorized them all and knows their fixed spots on her fingers.
He suddenly realizes it’s his turn to speak now, he didn’t mean to keep her waiting. He just got lost in his thoughts again.
“I’m sorry.” He wants to say so much more, but can’t seem to find the words. He has too much to say. Still, he needs to say something at least, even if it’s merely a fraction of what he wants to tell her.
“They meant a lot to you, didn’t they? I can tell.” He rubs his thumb over her palm, a soothing gesture.
Gamora scoffs, “You don’t have to tell. You know.”
His throat feels dry. She’s right, he does know. But he can also tell by her reaction. “That doesn’t mean I can’t tell, or that you can’t share that with me. I want to learn more about you, relearn things with you.” His voice is strong but gentle, confident in his words. “I didn’t know about how your people used to live together.” He adds.
She looks like she’s about to protest, but resists. He takes this as an opportunity and continues, “I’m sorry you had to sell them. Do you remember who you sold them to? We could look for them again.”
Much to his disappointment, she shakes her head. “No, they’re scattered all around. I sold them one by one, I…” Her voice breaks, but she powers through, “I just really wanted to keep at least one of them.”
This time, he lets the tears fall. He allows her to see how much her pain hurts him, showing her a part of his love he knows she’s not ready to accept. But she deserves to know.
Predictably, she tenses. Using her free hand to wipe her cheeks of tears that had not yet fallen. “It’s my fault for growing attached to something like that. I should’ve known better. I do know better.” She says bitterly.
“I used to have something like that too.” Peter admits.
Gamora sniffles a bit, but looks up at him. “What?” Her voice is soft.
“I had a walkman. It’s this thing where you can listen to music to and it’s the last thing I had left from my mom.” He reaches for her free hand with his, now holding both her hands between them.
“Oh.” She breathes. “What happened?”
Peter huffs out a laugh, more pained than joyous, “Turns out my dad is also kind of an asshole, like yours, and he crushed it. Wait-- It's not like Thanos is your dad. That's not what I-”
He cuts himself off as he looks at her again. Gamora looks horrified, physically flinching at his words. He remembered how she’d reacted when it happened and he’d told her, how protective she’s been over him and his music. Ever since the day they met, Gamora has always been open and listened to his stories. Her heart is the biggest he’s ever known and her reaction shouldn’t be a surprise.
Surprise or not, it still catches his off guard every time. He feels the emotions swell and the tears gather in his eyes again. She’s the best person he’s ever met and he loves her so much for it.
She moves one hand out of his grasp and a whine escapes his lips when she does so, missing her touch right away.
He actually feels his heart stop when her hand moves up to his cheek, gently wiping his tears away. It’s not like this morning, where her finger tips had merely brushed against his skin. Her hand is cupping his cheek now, a firm hold on his face as her thumb moves up and down.
How could he not cry right now?
He doesn’t even bother fighting the tears anymore. He lets himself crumble in her hold, tightening his own grip on her hand. Thinking about his walkman makes him emotional, but also his mom and the fact that he’s here, in this house and on earth, where he has so many memories of her. But he also feels something he’s gotten familiar with over the years: grief.
He thinks about Ego and Yondu, the Zune he’d gotten him. He thinks about Gamora. How she had been there, but now she has no recollection of that. He wants to tell her everything, but he can’t stop crying.
It’s definitely not the first time Gamora has had this effect on him. Peter used to be really good at hiding his emotions and still is, generally speaking. With Gamora, however, he’s never been able to do it. All she has to do is look at him like that and caress his face for him to break down.
“I’m so sorry, Peter. That is much, much worse.” She looks pained and he realizes it’s because of him. It makes him cry harder, the last thing he wants to do is cause her pain.
He shakes his head frantically, “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m just… I just know how hard it is.” Before he knows it, his own free hand moves up to her face. She flinches again and he immediately drops his hand.
He’s surprised his heart even still works after all of this.
“I know you love your music,” she starts, “You had another…. walking man with you.” She sounds unsure, but seemingly determined to continue this conversation.
He smiles at the small mistranslation between them, “Walkman.” He corrects gently. “The one you saw is called a Zune. I got it after I lost my Walkman.”
Gamora nods, but looks worried. “Hey, what is it?” Peter asks, confused.
She looks down between them, “You don’t have it.”
Oh. He understands now.
He feels his heart swell with love for her once more. “Oh, that! Don’t worry, I still have it. I left it behind on Knowhere for Rocket, he likes my music too.”
All the Guardians had taken a liking to his music eventually. He knows Gamora did. Her favorite bands were the Runaways, Bon Jovi and of course Fleetwood Mac -- which he agreed was very fitting. Peter’s preference was rather different, but he enjoyed her choices nonetheless. It was the same for her. They’ve spent many nights lying in bed together, holding each other and just listening to music. When Peter hadn’t figured out how to make a playlist yet, he’d made a list of all the song titles that reminded him of her and made sure to memorize it for whenever he wanted to play them.
“Nebula has told me about you.” She starts, startling him slightly. He was far too caught up in good memories of listening to his music with her to recognize she wanted to say something.
“She told me you love your music more than anything.” Gamora continues, “I haven’t really listened to it.”
Her words knock the air out of his lungs, all of the sudden he’s back on Knowhere, pointing a blaster at her. He can almost feel the fire burning around him, nearly swallowing him. They leave him there, but take his heart with it.
His breathing picks up, but this time he does fight the tears from falling. He needs to get this under control, and fast. None of this is fair for Gamora.
“I do.” Peter lies. He has to physically bite his tongue to not run his mouth and confess that he loves her so much more, that truly nothing comes close to how much love he has for her. He’d never listen to another song for his entire life if it meant he could be with her.
He tries to focus on the last thing she said, “I actually have something called a smartphone here now. It’s earth tech, I guess, but I still listen to music on here!” His hand moves to his pocket, but finds it empty. Truthfully, he hasn’t really used it ever since Gamora arrived.
“Oh, I don’t have it with me right now, but I could totally go grab it.” He winces, hoping she’ll take him up on that offer instead of rejecting it. He curses at himself for not having it with him right now, she would’ve been much more inclined to say yes if they didn’t have to break apart. Way to ruin the moment, he thinks.
Much to his disappointment, she shakes her head. She does offer him an apologetic smile, which reminds him that this might all be a little too overwhelming for her –- so he really doesn’t blame her.
“Rain check?” He asks, hopeful, even though he knows she doesn’t know what that means. He just really wants to explain it to her.
As expected, she looks confused. Her eyes move to the window, most likely checking to see if it’s raining, he thinks. He has to bite his lip to fight his smile, Gamora generally doesn’t appreciate when he smiles or laughs when she doesn’t understand something, so he tries to keep it to himself. It’s not like he’s making fun of her, she’s just too adorable.
He starts explaining before she even asks, “It basically means that even though you said no now, you might wanna do it in the future.”
“Interesting.” She says with a neutral expression on her face, most likely deciding whether she agrees with the term or not. She never did, he muses.
Gamora looks shy almost, just for a split second, before her face goes back to neutral. She nods, “Raincheck.”
This time, Peter lets his lips form a wide grin on his face, not even trying to bother hiding his enthusiasm. “Awesome!” He says, doing a little fistbump which scared her. She flinches, but smiles after – letting him know she was merely taken by surprise.
He still apologizes anyway, but doesn’t beat himself up over it. Suddenly, a question comes to mind that he’s wanted to ask her before they even started this conversation.
“Hey, what did you mean when you said your people had different customs about dating?” He asks, a little worried that he might’ve disrespected that or her. She’d never told him this before.
Gamora’s apologetic smile turns into a sly one, nearing a smirk rather than smile. “I lied.” She shrugs casually, but definitely looks more than a little proud of herself.
Peter’s jaw drops in mock offense, gaping at her. He’s not upset that she lied, but very surprised that he had actually fully believed it. Gamora is the worst liar he’s ever met, or perhaps that place would be tied with Nebula, he thinks. Regardless, she’d said it so nonchalantly that he never doubted the honesty of it for a second.
“Gamora!” He exclaims and moves his heart up to his chest, “You wound me with your lies.”
He’s absolutely delighted when she laughs. “I’m a good Ravager.” Is all she says, with the same amount of nonchalance she used before.
He smirks at her, taking this opportunity to challenge her competitiveness he finds so adoring. “I mean, you’ve only just become a Ravager. I grew up there so…” He shrugs and crosses his arms, “I’d say I’m the better Ravager among us.”
He nearly outright bursts into laughter as he sees her shoulders tense, very much affected by his comment. Gamora has always been competitive and he has many great memories of similar moments like this. Of course, Peter never took it too far as to actually annoy or offend her, but they’ve always loved teasing each other.
“You believed me.” She says, though it’s more like an accusation. “Besides, you didn’t say anything. So that means I beat you.”
He does laugh now, the sound so joyous it even makes her smile. He sighs dramatically, “Ah, you’re right. I guess I’ve been beaten.”
“And you’re not a better Ravager.” She points out, because of course she hasn’t forgotten about that.
Peter falls back against the door behind him dramatically, hands clutching at his chest with a false pained expression on his face, “Fine,” he wheezes, “You’re the better Ravager.”
“Excellent.” She nods politely, but there’s a smirk on her face.
He sniffles, “You truly hurt my pride. You’re a deadly woman, Gamora.”
She moves to get back to the kitchen, but not before throwing her head over her shoulder and flashing him a smirk,
“The deadliest in the galaxy.”
Oh, he’s so in love with her.