InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Tweak!"

ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟɪᴇsᴛ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ (weaponizing) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2017-07-06 10:06:00

Entry tags:

!complete, gamora, groot, peter quill (star-lord), rocket raccoon

Who: Gamora, Peter Quill, Gabe (Groot), and Rocket for a little bit
What: A GoTG get-together, with beer and Chinese food
When: A few weeks ago
Where: Gamora's apartment
Rating/Warnings: Nada!
Status: Complete

Gabe adjusted the six pack of beer he held under one muscular arm. He was always happy when the ‘Guardians’ got together. Granted they'd only done so once prior as a group and other times run into each other separately, but still, this was cool and he was excited. He knocked on the door to Gamora's place with his not quite free hand - he had a small potted plant in it, a portion of Christmas cactus from his own plant. A gift of sorts. It was the botanist in him. And maybe the alien tree persona bleeding over a little too. And also it was his first time at her place so why not be polite?

Beer was always welcomed. And Gamora did not have many plants - just the succulents Peter had given her for Valentine’s Day, but those...well. She was not exactly the best at caregiving but perhaps with some tips from a botanist, she would fare better.

She wore distressed jeans and a baseball shirt, long-sleeved and cotton, completely casual. The good thing was, she did not have to keep the enchanted piece of jewelry on, the one that was her glamour and hid her alien appearance - not with the rest of the Guardians. Answering the door, her smile was genuine when she saw Gabe standing there. “Come in,” Gamora waved him inside. “Peter is about to order Chinese food. We’re all hungry, I’m sure.”

To be a good host, she also had set up her minibar to be ready for company - there was a plethora of alcohol available, along with coffee and soda too, whatever anyone might want.

Over in the fancy schmancy kitchen, Peter was in the middle of ordering a little bit of everything on the menu. Gabe was bigger than him and between the group and what they'd all put away...he was sure going above and beyond was a safe idea. Even if the lady on the phone double checked with him to make sure that was what he wanted--making him hold till the card went through for confirmation.

“Okay so she said all the food should get here by the end of the summer, right before Halloween if we're lucky.” Pete moved to help Gabe with his full hands if only to clear them for the bro shake hug combo.

It was so surreal to know him as a baby tree the team of them were parenting when he slept but a beast of a man here. Getting married, no less. “Next time you'll have to bring the future Mrs. Groot. At least so she gets a taste of what she'll be dealing with and probably want to put our table on the end. Away from the civilized folk.”

Peter only winked in jest, but, in reality it probably wasn't far from the truth. A drunk Rocco or any of them at a wedding was going to be more than Snapchat worthy.

Rocco was a few minutes behind Gabe, a cake in hand because he baked and he really didn’t want anyone to make a big deal out of it, okay? Red velvet with creamcheese icing — it was his Ma’s recipe — and he was sure the gang would love it. Gabe loved it. The big guy always ate the bulk of it whenever he was over at the house. But the door had just closed when he arrived, and he groaned because now he was stuck waiting outside. He rang the doorbell, and knocked at the door with the toe of his shoe.

“Leave a guy waiting outside and I’m gonna think you really do hate vermin,” he said in jest.

“Thanks, Gamora. This is for you.” Gabe said, displaying the plant in his hand before Peter appeared to relieve him of it and the beer. He gave Gamora a hug, and Peter a bro shake/hug. “Nice place.” He had to admit Gamora was doing well for herself. “Now all we need is Rocket. I wish Drax would show up one of these days already. I miss the guy.”

He laughed at Peter's labelling of his fiance as Mrs. Groot. “I actually want to marry her, bro, not scare her off.” He teased. “But you got a point about the table.” He winked.

A small knock and Rocco's boisterous voice was heard on the other side of the door. Gabe went to get it. Opening the door revealed his best bud, struggling to hold his mom's famed Red Velvet cake. “Nobody loves Raccoons, you know that.” Gabe grinned that Groot grin before relieving him of the cake. He eyed it briefly with a glint of greed - it was his favorite dessert and being hungry at the moment only made the temptation worse.

Gabe would have to fight Gamora for that cake - because it smelled delicious; her senses were attuned to such things, such as the delectable aroma of baked goods. As far as she was concerned, the ability to bake made Rocket all the more of a catch for some lucky lady - she would have to vet all of his love interests, and intimidate them. That thought brought her a smile too.

“This is sweet of you, thank you,” she told Gabe and moved to put the plant down on a suitable table in the living room - it would get enough sunlight here, and hopefully she wouldn’t kill this one quickly. “I sort of miss the idiot that is Drax too, but I’m glad both of you could come over.”

She also missed Nebula, for some strange reason - and wondered if she was out there, what she was doing. “Drinks, then. What do you guys want?”

Peter could only chuckle at the prospect of all of them legitimately scaring away Gabe’s fiancé. They were still themselves in a way, but here, Groot wasn't a tree, Rocket wasn't a raccoon, and they had yet to argue as much. Which was great, so far, considering they bickered like...well, a family.

He made sure to greet Rocco with the same brotherly love as he had Gabe. It irked Peter that he and Rocket fought so much in the dreams. At least here they got along much better and the trash panda was legitimately not as trashy for the sake of being a douche. “You could have hollered, pal, stop being such a drama queen.”

And then he was behind the counter to help ready some glasses for drinks, the bar tending bit all but second nature to him. “You think he'll show up? Is there like a pattern or something?” Quill asked Gabe since he'd been there the longest.

He couldn't imagine knowing all he did and having...none of them there. He'd go crazy.

Gabe chuckled at the face Rocket made as Pete addressed him and gave the guy a hug. Setting down the cake on the counter in the kitchen he watched as the man known to him as Star Lord in the dreams started playing bartender. It was a bit weird, but then they all had different professions here. Here Gabe wasn’t a thief with Rocco (not anymore) and owned a medicinal cannabis shop, and...well, actually he wasn’t even sure what Gamora did, come to think of it.

“Uh,” Gabe gestured uselessly. “I don’t...really drink much? It’s usually just beer or wine at home so.” He shrugged, clad in a somewhat form fitting white t-shirt (he really couldn't help it, he was a compact but muscular dude), plain blue jeans and boots. He hadn’t been sure what to wear and so went weekend casual. “So you can make whatever.” He added after a beat. “I used to be a bouncer at a club before working at Fullerton, so no time for drinking. Just tossing out the drunks or keeping out the riff raff.” He smirked.

As to the question of Drax, he shrugged again. “No pattern I know of. You guys were MIA while I’ve been here for like, two years. The message board’s great for posting about the dreams, but it sucks when no one knows what the hell you’re talking about.” He remembered posting about their adventures, about being a walking, talking sentient tree that could only speak three words, and people being fascinated by that, but not understanding exactly what he was dreaming.

Beer it was, then. Beer went well with Chinese food (which should be here soon). Gamora passed around the brewsky’s, popping off the cap on hers with an easy twist. “The riff raff?” she smiled a little, amused by the description. “I think you’re standing with the riff raff.” To that, she gave Peter’s backside (you could probably bounce these bottle caps off such a rock-hard posterior; Gamora approved) a love-pat. Which was more like a sufficient grab for the likes of her.

“I know what you mean though. I am a close protection officer - “ A bodyguard, if you wanted to use the simpler terms, “...I am used to dealing with riff-raffs.” And she was well-trained. Ready to shoot just about anyone, so don’t test her.

While they waited for sustenance, they could chat in the living room, so Gamora directed them all there. She’d cleaned beforehand, the place was spic and span - she even had some incense burning for a pleasant aroma.

Peter chuckled along to Gamora’s clarification, yeah, they pretty much were the riff-raff. But they were his riff-raff and family. He loved them in this life and the memories--a deep connection that couldn't be severed, even in another life.

Settling snugly in against the couch at Gamora’s direction, Peter took a sip of his drink, just taking in the lot of them and actually being in their presence. Surreal, yet, warm and comfortable. “Dunno if you knew this or not but I've almost got all of the Milano set up. When it's done we need to take it for a spin to see what's out there.”

Gabe chuckled at Gamora’s point. They really were the riff-raff weren’t they? That was okay with him. People like them had more fun anyway.

“Ah,” he tilted the bottle in Gamora’s direction in acknowledgement. “I bet we got some great stories to swap.” Similar professions and all.

Gabe settled into the couch on the opposite side of the couch, giving Peter space. He had to admit, that in his mind’s eye his perspective of everyone was very different - being ten feet tall and all in the dreams. Mostly top of heads and people angling to look up at him when he was addressed. Except when he’d regenerated as a little baby version of himself. Then it was all opposite. Still, the unspoken bond between them seemed to be way more potent now than he’d had in the dreams. More real. Finally, after years of waiting nearly all the Guardians were here!

And...wait, did Peter say the Milano?

“Wait...your ship is here?” Groot said in disbelief.

“It is here,” Gamora confirmed, sounding entertained - and oh, don’t get her wrong, she was. Especially by Peter’s excitement over parts of his beloved vessel. He was like a kid on Christmas morning, it was cute.

She in all of her green-skinned, high-cheekboned glory settled next to Peter snugly, halfway in his lap as she held her beer and sipped from the bottle. “He’s been putting it together - there are still some parts missing but I’m sure they will arrive soon, hm?” Gamora hoped so. Because she too wished to explore the galaxies, and see exactly what was out there - surely more than modern-day astronomists had ever bargained for.

“Right?!” Yes, a kid on Christmas indeed. Peter had all this knowledge and know how of a rig he'd been given at ten in another life and couldn't even drive it. The suspense was killing him!!

“Rocket and I have pieced her together as much as we could. Hopefully the next set of roller coaster dreams gives us the rest of her.” He leaned snugly back against Gamora, arm resting behind her on the couch. “And then we can really see what the difference between here and there is.”

Gabe's face was lit up as much at Peter's. The Milano was here! They could literally travel in space like in the dreams! “That's friggin’ fantastic, bro! Oh man, imagine where we could go. See our own planets up close! Here's to hoping the dreams give you the rest of her ASAP.” And he raised his beer in a toast.

Gamora laughed, a quiet chuckle, as she clinked her beer against the others. “Well, here’s to space,” and then she took a hearty swig - right as a knock on the door sounded. That? Seemed to be very good timing. Now they could plan for intergalactic adventures while shoveling Chinese food into their mouths. There really wasn’t anything better, in her most humble opinion.