Chapter 5
I hop off of the counter and laugh, looking at Morgan. "What?"
"I've got an idea! Come with me!" I go over to her and tug her by her wrist gently.
"What? Where? Why?"
"Gonna ask who and when too? Or How?"
"Shut up!" She gets her wrist out of my hold and I look at her, proud.
"So you do pay attention! Great!"
"What idea?"
"We're gonna ruin his life. Just a little bit, though," I assure and she looks at me.
"How much is a little bit?"
"Oh... Just... Enough that he'll never want to show his face in public ever again. The usual amount."
"Have I told you lately that you are my favorite sibling?"
"Ain't no thang, baby doll," I smirk as I dust my shoulder slightly and she rolls her eyes. "I've said a lot of stupid shit, but that takes the cake. Damn."
"JARVIS, please tell me you have a recording of that. And send it to my phone. That's going to be Razzle Dazzle's new ringtone."
"I hate you, Tin Man."
"I let you live here rent-free and you're gonna say you hate me?"
"Yes. You can't kill me and I can win in a fight against you."
"Sure about that?" I snap my fingers and vines wave in front of his face. "You are, OK. Never mind."
"Thought so. Now... Chaos. Pixie Dust."
"Right away, Razzle Dazzle." A holoscreen pops up on the table and I grin, going over to it with Morgan.
"Alrighty... Let's have some fun." My fingers easily fly across the screen and I scatter the signal so that no one will be able to tell where it's coming from, eyes moving quickly between the pop-ups.
"Ah-ha! Perfect," I smirk as I get into all of his accounts, pictures, and DMs, and Morgan looks at them.
"No way... You aren't...?"
"Oh, yes way, I am. You against it?" She looks at the DMs and glares.
"Do it."
"'Atta girl!" I finish making sure Reggie will regret his choices and hang with Morgan.
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A month later as I'm working in the Commons while the others hang around, I hear wings but ignore them to finish what I'm doing before I turn and see Gabe, Castiel, Sammy, and Dean, all of them looking sad. "What's up?"
"Maybe you should sit down?" Sammy says gently and I look at him, crossing my arms.
"Just tell me."
"There was..." Dean starts but can't find the words so Gabe continues.
"There was a mutiny with the Ravagers. All of the crews attacked your family. They killed them. Loki Jr and the tree are the only ones that survived."
"That isn't funny, Gabriel."
"We are not joking, Raziah," Castiel says and I look at them.
"This, uh... This stuff is all that we could manage to find to bring back..." Sammy holds out his hands and I take the patches from the different crews in my family, staring at them.
"Well, I was able to find this..." Dean holds out Yondu's arrow with a piece of his implant and I look at it for a moment before taking it.
"We're sorry," Gabe says gently and they disappear while I stare at the items, the others looking at me.
"Are you OK?" Morgan asks carefully and I don't respond for a moment.
"I... Gotta go..." I leave Commons to go to the workshop and sit at a workbench, setting all of the stuff on it so I can look at it. My vision blurs from tears and I just let them fall, slowly starting to sob as I bury my hands in my hair while my elbows rest on the bench.
A pot appears in front of me on the workbench and I look at it, seeing Groot start to form from a twig. He stretches with a yawn and I look at him sadly. "Hey, Groot..." He looks at me and I smile gently, offering him my hand as he unfolds his. "I'm Raziah..."
"I... Am... Groot?"
"I, um... I can't understand you right now... But... I know someone who can, OK? You wanna go meet them?" He nods after a moment and I smile slightly. "OK. Let's go meet them." I go back to Commons and they all look at me as I walk in with Groot in a pot.
"Why is the tree tiny?" Thor asks and Groot waves his hands slightly as he explains.
"I am Groot."
"Ah. Wait, how did you die? And if you died, how are you here?"
"I am Groot."
"You can heal by doing this. I see. Are you OK?" He asks me and I just stare at him for a moment.
"I just found out the only family I've known since I was ten was killed by the Ravager Clans doing a mutiny. After I made Gabriel wipe their memories so I could be sure they'd stop coming after me. What do you think?"
"Not good, I'm assuming?"
"Not good."
"OK." I set Groot on the counter and he looks at me.
"I am Groot."
"He says you look like Quill." Gabe appears and I look at him.
"I forgot to give him his memories back. Sorry." He touches Groot's head then disappears again and Groot looks at me.
"I am Groot!"
"He is angry with you."
"That's understandable."
"I am Groot!"
"He hates you more than hats currently."
"Ouch, but fair."
"I am Groot!"
"He wishes he could impale you with one of his branchy arms."
"Fair. I'm just gonna... Let you calm down a bit, Bonsai... And, uh..." I take Dad's Zune from my belt and give him one of the earbuds. "Music. You like Dad's music. So, here... Um... You calm down for a bit and I'm gonna... Go somewhere else." I grab a bottle of Asgardian ale as I head out and go to the gym, sitting on the floor while I drink and feel miserable.
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I wake in the morning with a killer hangover and stumble into the kitchen on my floor. "There she is," Sam cheers purposefully loudly and I grab my head. "The girl who managed to get drunk as a super-soldier! Whooo!"
"I hate you," I groan and sit at the island, finding it too bright. "Pixie-"
"I can't adjust the lights or dim the sun, Razzle Dazzle. I have been given explicit orders not to."
"Well, I override those orders. Do it. And it's my floor."
"It's Tin Man's Tower."
"Tin Man?"
"Better than Stank," I mutter and hold my head in my hands, regretting all of my life choices.
"How many hangovers have you had in your lifetime?" I hold up one finger. "So this is your second one?"
"This is my first one... So would you mind turning down the sun and lights?"
"Yes."
"I hate you."
"That's fair." I look up and see Groot was climbing out of his pot, developed to just smaller than when I first met him.
"Hey, Bonsai... Still mad at me?"
"I am Groot."
"I know," I say softly and am surprised that I understood him. "And I'm sorry... Truly..." He glares at me and just stalks away with Thor following. "OK..." I go over to the fridge and get the bottle of whiskey from the top of it with the help of magic.
"Don't you think it's a little early for that?" Sam asks and I look at him as I pour a glass.
"No."
"Well... Isn't that a bit much for that kind of strength?"
"No." I easily toss it back and he looks at me with the others, all of them worried. I start to pour another glass when hands stop me and take the bottle, closing it.
"That's enough," Bruce says gently and I clench my fists, feeling control for everything just slip through my fingers like sand.
"Shh, it's OK, no need to fight the need to cry, Love," Pietro says gently as he wraps his arms around me and I hadn't even realized I was crying. "Shh..." He holds me close to his chest and I just break to pieces while the others leave to give us privacy. "I have you, Rebel." I sob loudly with no shame and he gently lowers us to the floor when my knees give.
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I wake later in Pietro's arms on the couch and my eyes were aching while my nose was congested. I drag myself out of his arms and take myself to the elevator, not even sure where I want to go.
JARVIS takes care of that, though, and takes me to Commons where the others were. They all look toward me as I come in and I sit between Steve and Bucky, silent. "So... What are you planning on doing with that arrow Dean found?" I barely shrug and Groot stares at me before climbing in my lap, extending his limbs to hug me. I gently pet his head with my thumb in return and he sits sideways in my lap to keep hugging me.
"I am Groot." I let out a wet laugh and they all look at me.
"Yeah, they would've... Feelings are not in a Ravager's life..."
"I am Groot..."
"I know... I miss them too..." I gently cup my hands around Groot like I would when I was a kid and he looks up at me. "I'm glad that you're OK, though..."
"I am Groot."
"Yeah, Rocket would never let me live this down..." I gently rub his head and he relaxes a bit. "Remember the time we came here for Halloween? And I said the crew was mute to a couple of cops that were called after someone tried grabbing you?" He laughs and I smile a bit. "He was so close to either getting his throat slit or a hole in him and looked like he was gonna piss himself." He laughs more and I chuckle softly. "After a fight with Nova Prime and after I led a job to steal a ritualistic Skrull slave killing knife. Krags looked like he was ready to kill me when he found that out."
"I am Groot."
"Of course I cared about them, Twig. They were the ones who raised me and, usually, kept me out of jail. They taught me everything I know. It's only natural I care about them a little bit."
"I am Groot?"
"The kids were... Kids... And it looks like I did end up breaking my promise to Dad..."
"Hey, it-"
"Steve, if you're going to say it wasn't my fault, it wasn't selfish of me, just don't... Let me have this depressive episode for a day or two and I'll be back to normal once it's done... And as for the Yaka Arrow... I'm gonna work with it, adjust it where it needs to be, and keep using it... The piece he brought should be big enough to be used as a chip... I just need to get started on working to make it a chip while using the formulas and equations I made with Doc, him, Rocket, and Krags to make it work for me..."
"And you remember those how?"
"Super-genius, Rhodey."
"Right. You're almost as bad as Tony, y'know?"
"I don't call you an animal for a nickname." He shrugs slightly and I look at Groot as he climbs onto my right shoulder, smiling slightly. "Reclaiming your spot?" He nods firmly and I gently pat his head.
"I am Groot?" He asks as I stand and I nod, heading toward the elevator.
"Yes, yes, we're going to work on it now. What else do you think I'm going to do? These idiots won't let me drink myself into a coma."
"Because that isn't safe or healthy," Bucky calls simply and I roll my eyes. "And don't roll your eyes at me, kid." I turn to walk back onto the elevator and make a show of rolling my eyes. "Fine." He gets up and I press the button to close the doors.
"What was that? Sorry, couldn't hear you past the closing doors!" I lean against the wall as JARVIS takes us to the workshop and Groot laughs. "Funny, huh?" He nods and I smile, glad to have him here. "I'm glad you're here, Groot. I missed you the most out of everybody."
"I am Groot." I smile gently and get off the elevator when the doors open, running right into Bucky who was waiting at the workshop.
"What the Hell, Bucky? Have you just been standing here like a creepy stalker waiting for me?"
"More or less." He smirks slightly and I glare at him, heading toward my workbench with all the stuff the Winchesters brought me. "What are you going to do?"
"Exactly what I said I would. I'm gonna make this piece into a chip that will allow me to channel and use the Yaka Arrow." I set Groot on the workbench as I sit and he looks at everything, curious. "Only bad thing is I don't have any of the tools I had then... I can make it work, though. Just gonna take some effort and work." I grab the tools from Tony's workbench and quickly look through them, finding a few things that would help.
"I am Groot." I look up to see him digging through the pot he was in.
"Not even gonna ask how that got back down here. What is it?" He takes out Rocket's tools and I look at him, shocked. "Groot. What... Why... How?"
"I am Groot."
"Of course he did. Groot. Have I mentioned that you've always been my favorite?"
"I am Groot."
"Oh, yeah. I did say it every day at least once. Well, you're my favorite creature in all of existence and I love you." I take the tools and get started on adjusting the implant piece to make it a chip, getting sucked into it easily.
--
"Raziah," Tony yells and I look at him.
"What?" I yell back and he points outside. "What about- Oh, it's night now. OK. I'm almost done so hang on." I finish what I'm doing, seeing Groot was asleep, and carefully pick up the chip and arrow. "OK... This should work..." He looks at me and gestures toward the elevator as he grabs Groot.
"Might as well show everybody why we didn't see you for more than ten minutes today and yesterday."
"Oh, I've been in here since yesterday. That explains why I have a migraine and am starving."
"There's food in Commons so you can eat."
"Sweet." I mess with my head to be able to put the chip behind my ear but it can be connected to my brain and he looks at me, not able to see it.
"Do-?"
"No."
"OK." We get on the elevator and I spin the arrow between my fingers slightly.
The doors open and I smell pizza, going over to it immediately as Tony takes the arrow. "Pizza."
"This is why you shouldn't become a hermit," Steve says simply and I flip him off as I eat a slice, enjoying it as I sit on the floor. "What were you working on? Finish eating first."
"I was working on the Yaka Arrow. And Rocket put his tools in Groot's pot like a nutcase but it was useful for me so he gets a free pass. That and he's dead so it's like I can do that much against it."
"Did it work?" I shrug and Peter looks at me. "Try it!"
I whistle slowly as I close my eyes and hear Ned gasp before there's the WHOOSH of the arrow, the image of the room and faces appearing in my mind as I laugh slightly. "It worked," I say softly as I open my eyes and the arrow flits above my head until I whistle it to my hands. "It worked."
"You helped do it, right?"
"Eh... Kind of. I made the designs and the plans... I got to see the formulas and such but I didn't get a hand in making it work. That was all Rocket, Krags, and Doc."
"Why weren't you a part of making it work?"
"I was planning a wedding with Jay, was going through my Stealing, got stabbed by a Skrull pretending to be Jay, almost got into a fistfight with Nova Prime over my past, got abducted by the Skrull, sold to the Kree with one of those nice little whips, they also managed to brainwash me in a day and a half. That was fun. Oh, and I became a Captain and got married to that idiotic Xandarian childhood friend of mine after I tried to kill my family. I need therapy for that, not for being Tundra. But, fuck therapy. It's stupid as shit. And fuck that therapist and her notebook thing. What the Hell is up with that stupid shit?"
"You need help."
"I need sleep. I've been awake since the last time you saw me." Pietro responds by trying to sweep me into his arms and I instinctively punch him in the face with my right hand, knocking him out as he crumples to the floor. "And that seems to cause a punch first ask questions later type of mindset... Um... Stephen?"
"One moment." He waves his hands and a portal opens underneath us so we fall into our bed, closing before I can thank him.
"That works." I carefully pull out blankets over us and pull on my sleeping sleeve and glove so the cold metal didn't wake Pietro or make him cold. I cuddle close to him and fall asleep quickly.
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I wake to something brushing against my face and wrinkle my nose for a moment before opening my eyes to see Groot sitting on my chest, running his leaves against my face. "Groot... What are you doing?" He shrugs a bit and stops since I'm awake. I pick him up and put him on my shoulder as I head out of my room to get some food in Commons.
"I do not appreciate being knocked unconscious by my wife."
"Heh... My bad." Groot laughs and hops down to go into a pot. "You are a child."
"So are you," Tony scoffs and I look at him.
"Y'know, there's a reason for that."
"And what's that?"
"My life is a mess. That's what. And I kinda had a shitty childhood. It was fun. Now. Food?" Bruce sets a plate in front of me and it looks so damned good so I look at him with a completely straight face as I say, "I love you, y'know that?"
"You love anyone that gives you food," Steve says simply as he reads a newspaper and I shrug, starting to eat the food. "You should pray before you eat."
"Right. My bad." I set the fork down and clear my throat as they all look at me to see me fold my hands slightly, closing my eyes for a moment. I trace a cross on my head and chest while saying, "In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
"Thank you."
"I'm not done."
"What?"
"Head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Turn up your nose, strike that pose," I fold my hands again and bob my head once while saying, "Hey Macarena. Now I'm done. That good enough?" The others were dying of poorly contained laughter and Steve looked pissed.
"That's offensive."
"I don't pray. I'm not religious. Not after the shit, I've gone through. There is no God, there are multiple and they're all a bunch of assholes most of the time. If you have an issue with it, take it up with my PR rep."
"You have a PR rep?"
"Of course I do. Write down your complaint on a piece of paper." Steve does and hands it to me. "Stephen, if you'd be so kind." He smirks and portals a shredder to the counter next to me that I had labeled 'PR REP'.
"Wait..." I take the complaint and make eye contact with him as I feed it to the shredder. "You could've just said you didn't care!"
"This got the point across that much better." I smile and go back to eating. "Hey, Tony."
"What?"
"Y'know, I'd make an amazing CEO."
"Yeah, not gonna happen."
"Damn. Worth a shot."
"Not even." I shrug and finish eating.
"Bruce."
"You're welcome."
"That's kinda creepy but I can't bring myself to care that much."
"No, I just know you well enough now."
"Sweet." I tap my fingers against the counter for a moment, not sure what to do now, and Bruce notices.
"You have no clue what to do with your life now, do you?"
"Not a one."
"What was your end goal with all of that schooling?"
"Get it and figure it out later," I say with Pietro and Tony rubs his head slightly.
"You could still start a business, Rebel."
"Pietro."
"I'm just saying, Love."
"You're just saying that I should start another business to compete against a family member and that is too much for me. I've done it enough in my life, I'm done with it, I'm not competing with Tony."
"What if you didn't compete with me, then?"
"Meaning?"
"Meaning... I need another designer for suits and someone who can help me engineer them. Everything you have a degree for... You planned to try to work for my company all along, wasn't it?"
"Well, not for your company, just... With you...?"
"Raziah Quill Emyrada, why didn't you just say that?"
"I did. And you said you didn't work with people who just up and leave for ten years."
"Right..."
"Then you went on to buy a property out from under me. Not cool, by the way."
"OK. Why did you study law?"
"Gotta know the law to break it, y'know? It's a joke," I laugh when they all glare at me and Morgan rolls her eyes while Groot laughs.
"The offer to work with me still stands," Shuri points out and Morgan seems to wilt.
"I appreciate the offer, but Wakanda isn't for me. Your Mother terrifies me and so does the Dora Milaje. They always look like they're waiting for a reason to try to kill me."
"Not so much after you- After you were cured of the Tundra Soldier issue," Zemo catches his slip-up and I glare at him slightly.
"What were you gonna say?" MJ asks and they all look at me.
"What did you learn you can do?"
"I can make people my level of immortal."
"What?" They say simultaneously and I flinch slightly, finding it too loud.
"How?" Bruce asks and I look at him. "Magic, right."
"I'm not a normal Celestial. I have my life source absorbed in me. I can break off a piece and give it to someone else so they form a life source. I've managed to do it with Speedy, T'Challa, Shuri, a select few Dora Milaje, and Zemo..."
"Zemo?"
"Yes, Zemo. He's helpful. Surprisingly," I grumble and he smiles sweetly.
"How?"
"She uses tongue," He smirks and I send a gust of wind at him to send him against a wall. "I deserved that."
"Care to explain, Raz?"
"The only way I have found to do it is... Through a... Kiss..."
"What?"