How they should have met

Quill stood alone in a corner of the Benatar stored away in the docking clamps of the Quadrant. Sometimes he really missed the Milano. The Benatar hat lovely features and was a fine ship but still, the Milano had been his first love. He smiled at the pun no one got but him.

They were on their way back to Earth. On their way…

Home?

He didn’t feel like he was going home. He felt as if he was doomed to be dragged to hell. He couldn’t explain why that was or how it happened but for a long time now he didn’t dare to think of Earth as home.

He wondered, would pops still be alive? Would he be able to see him? How would people react to him? What would be the same? What would have changed? And most important: would he even be able to call this world his home anymore?

Somebody cleared his throat quietly to gain his attention. He slowly turned around and stood face to face with the first human being he had seen in more than two decades. He had managed to avoid this man so far but now he had him cornered.

“What do you want?” He didn’t feel especially friendly right now and the other had come uninvited. Even so, he cringed internally at his own harshness. This was not how he wanted to be.

The other man came closer slowly. 

“I just thought you might want some little update on how it was going the last time I was on earth.” The man stated quietly. Quill took in the sight. The man looked haggard, somewhat forlorn. The greying hair and nervous ticks making him look older on first sight than he probably was looking closer.

But his gentle brown eyes looked sympathetic and likeable. He smiled at the Star-Lord. “Of course whatever I could tell you is already outdated for about two years so I’ve been told.”

Quill tilted his head in rising curiosity. “How so? How could you not know how long you’ve been away from Earth?”

“Well,” the other looked extremely abashed all of a sudden, “one could say I wasn’t quite myself.”

“Ok earthling, now you got me hooked. Spill it! I’ve just learned I’m half gorgeous half planet, can you top that?”

The older man grinned. “Oh, you bet.” He said.

He rummaged through his bag and showed him some data crystals he had pilfered. Together they fed the data to the Benatar’s system and Quill watched in awe as a green overly big rage monster in some kind of a gladiators get up stormed over the little screen.

“That’s you?” he asked.

“Yep!” The other replied now smirking.

“Wooow, that’s awesome!” Quill leaned closer to the screen and replayed the scene. Banner looked at him thoughtfully. “Seeing people in space react the Hulk might have been more welcome around space than at home. Maybe I should have gone sooner. Maybe…”

He stopped and looked away. Peter poked him in the arm. “Care to tell? What happened? You being an experiment like Rocket?”

Banner sighed. “Something like that. But I have to admit, there’s no one to blame but me.”

Peter looked at him and demonstratively sat down on the floor with crossed legs. “I’m all ears. I tell mine if you tell yours.”

Bruce smiled at the man and sat down, leaning back at the ship’s hull.

“Why not. It’s not as if I have much to do anyway.”

So they told each other their stories and it put things into perspective. Quill felt a lot better now, having talked with a human and realizing how much the world had changed.

“Hey Bruce,” he started, “or do I have to call you doctor Banner now?” Bruce merely chuckled.

“It seems to me if people can accept a genius turning into a barely controlled rage monster, maybe they could play be and let be with a half human half Celestial could they?”

Bruce looked thoughtful. “It depends whom you meet first really. They accepted a lot of different people lately though.”

“So would you say my people are safe? Am I safe?” Quill prodded further.

“Yeah probably.” Banner turned to see him eye to eye, “and if not I got the feeling you are a pretty formidable opponent if someone decides to make problems.”

The team reacted very positively of the sudden improvement of their leader’s mood. They were much tighter knitted now, after the incident with Ego. They knew where they stood. A disruption like Quill becoming all bratty was affecting them all.

Far too soon they reached Earth and it was decided that Bruce was the best choice to announce their arrival.

Indeed it didn’t take long for the addressed party to respond. A quirky and energetic face filled the screen.

“Bruce!” the man exclaimed, “what a surprise! I dearly missed you but coming back in a spaceship? How did you manage to get outta space? The Hulk nowadays able to jump planets?”

Bruce laughed. “No Tony, I’m afraid the situation is a bit more complicated. Could you make some arrangements so we could land? We have been cooped up in here for a while now and we bring important intel for you. Should we come to Stark Tower?”

“Nawwww, not there, I don’t be there anymore.” The other stated. While taking in the stunned expression of his friend Tony added: “I see you really haven’t been around for the past year, I’ll send you the coordinates and arrange a meeting for you and your friends. We have a new Avengers compound. I guess you couldn’t come down with something a bit… smaller?”

Bruce looked questioningly at Quill who nodded silently. Tony had not failed to realize that Bruce had communicated with someone off screen but decided to tame his curiosity.

“Yeah we’re coming down with another ship, this one will stay in orbit. But Tony?” The engineer raised his brows questioningly. “See to it that you keep the control freaks in check. The people I’m with will not react well to being threatened. I guess you might even…loose if you try.”

Stark contemplated this for a moment. “You’ll be with them if that happens?”

Bruce hesitated barely a second, then he had made up his mind. He didn’t know these people, but he had a good feeling. And there was Thor too.

“Yes Tony, I’ll be with them.”

To his surprise, Tony just grinned at him. “Hell if that’s not enough of a recommendation for me!”

The closer Earth came the antsier Quill felt. It was as if an almost tangible force pressed against his skin. He had stayed oddly quiet during the first contact. Now he stood as far in the back of the ship as he could get. What was wrong with him? He had thought he had overcome most of his insecurities while talking to Bruce but now it was even worse. It could not just be insecurity and anticipation, could it? Could he of all people really be that damned labile?

He huffed and decided it would be time to board the Benatar, no way would he let Rocked pilot this thing when they were landing on his home planet.

This discussion he’d managed to win at least.

He was proud that all of his friends trusted him enough to come with him. He even wanted them at his side, not that he would admit it. Thor had even dragged Loki from the cabin he had been hiding in since Gamora and Thor had made it clear that they needed all intel they could get for preparation and he had to report extensively if he wanted revenge against Thanos. Grudgingly he had agreed but since then he was mad as a bathed cat and no one desired to stay in his company longer as necessary. The Valkyrie named Brunnhilde had agreed to stay with the surviving Asgardians helping them settle on one of Xandar’s moons together with Heimdall. It was a very generous offer the Nova Corps had made possible and they knew it. Even Thor had seen reason at the end, this way his people would stay in touch not only with their heritage but could keep up their deeds within the nine realms.

Far too soon Quill released the docking clamps of the Quadrant and piloted his ship on a gentle descent to Earth. Looking at the blue-green globe he felt a sudden sting in his heart. She was so beautiful! He glanced sideways and saw the same awe on Banner's face.

Home.

But besides that not so unsurprising feeling there was something else as well.

A strange pulling, a force like magnetism driving him forwards so he had to force himself to descent slowly,  a strange, burning sensation within his body… bothered he shook that away, he had to concentrate right now.

They landed in front of a formidable compound crowned with a gigantic ‘A’ of all things. The surroundings were lovely and Teen-Groot even got drawn from his silly toy to look at the water and the trees surrounding the buildings.

“I am Groot!” he declared.

“Later” Rocket reprimanded. “Let’s see first if the natives are friendly, then you can have a bath.”

“I AM Groot!” the stubborn creature insisted.

“We don’t even know if you COULD drink that!” Rocket snarled, “could be poisonous as far as we know! You could wither from that before you’re even really in bloom, you want that?”

“I am Groot” was foreseeable if subdued reply. Groot had given in for once. What a relieve, they were making progress.

Quill landed the ship so gently even Rocket had nothing to comment. He opened the hatch and sighed.

“Well then, here we go.” With that he turned to step out of the ship first and just for once, no one protested.

It was almost too boring.

Outside a circle of important and alert looking people stood around in a loose circle. He looked at the sunglasses covered eyes of his ‘opponents’ and gifted them with his widest grin.

“Hey there”, he greeted, “what’s new Pussycats?”

One of the people sighed and hid his face in his hand while others rolled their eyes.

“Oh no, not another one of those.” He uttered.

The man he had seen talking to Bruce on the screen stepped forwards and took off his sunglasses. A boyish grin appeared on his face when he took them all in.

“Whoa-oh-oh!” he replied and earned an even wider grin in return while it was now time for the Guardians to moan.

Drax was the one to speak out what they all thought:

“And I had thought Quill was just an irrational exceptional case.”

While Stark and Quill were still grinning at each other like madmen, the rest of both entourages looked slightly relaxed. Maybe there was some common ground after all.

Even if this meant they were led by idiots.