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“Hey, Els? You wanna help me with something?” Gamora asked her 7 year old daughter with a grin, convinced Elspeth would be happy to be included on the festivities this year.She thought she had a pretty good idea for one of Peter’s so called ‘pranks’, but she’ll need help to pull it off. Which is why she’d come over to Elspeth coloring at her play table- to enlist her help.“What is it, Mama?” She asked without looking up, still hyper focused on coloring her pages with her tongue sticking out as she scribbled for maximum precision.“Well, your dad and my anniversary is coming up, and-”“What’sa anniversary?” Elspeth interrupted, screwing her face up in that way she always did when she came across a word that sounded familiar, but wasn’t used enough in their everyday lives for her to actually know what it meant.“The anniversary of our marriage,” Gamora smiled, stepping closer and brushing the head of dark curls she’d inherited from her father. Even sitting down, she was getting so tall now. Gamora didn’t even have to lean down to brush her daughter’s hair as she sat in the child-sized play chair. “It’s like celebrating the birthday of our wedding,” she explained. “When we got married.”“You guys got married?!” Her daughter shouted, utterly appalled. “How come you didn’t tell me?! I wanted to come!”Elspeth looked absolutely heartbroken about missing out on her parent’s wedding that happened long before she came along. Yes, she and Peter usually celebrated their anniversary just the two of them. This was the first time she thought to include their daughter.“Baby, we’ve been married you whole life,” Gamora assured her, tucking the hair behind Elspeth’s ear. “You weren’t born yet when your dad and I got married. Technically you were there, you were just still inside my tummy at the time.”Gamora pointed at her stomach as if to verify her claim. Well, she wasn’t actually pregnant at the time since their daughter came along a few years after their wedding happened, but pointing to her stomach was the same general area, and Gamora figured she didn’t need to bother her daughter with the details and exact timeline.Gamora was grinning too, cause this was the absolute cutest, and she was going to tell Peter about this conversation ASAP.Elspeth frowned, pursing her lips and looking quite pensive as she stared hard at her mother’s stomach.“Okay,” she decided, bright and chiper. “I forgive you.”Gamora laughed. “Thanks, baby girl.”“You need my help for your wedding birthday?” The little girl asked, suddenly all business, getting down to the problem at hand.Her mother nodded. “So here’s the plan…”“Perfect,” Gamora said, affixing the device behind Elspeth’s ear, brushing aside her hair and kissing her on the forehead before triggering the mask. Peter was still asleep (of course he was) and it had been the easiest thing in the world snatching the mechanism off their dresser this morning.Elspeth clapped her green little hands in utter delight as Starlord’s signature mask slid over her face.“Can you hear me, baby?” Gamora asked, whispering and tapping the ear bud in her own ear to test the com link she’d already set up.“Ye-es!”She waited until the last possible moment (after Peter had started rustling around in their bedroom once he’d finally woken up) before sealing up the box and wrapping it in the colorful, festive paper that denoted a gift. Not as a safety concern or anything- Peter’s mask had over 9 hours of oxygen reserves, and could run much, much longer on recycled air if the wearer was in an enclosed space.It’s not like the cardboard box that Elspeth was hiding inside was airtight anyway. Gamora didn’t even tape all the flaps down, because that would ruin her ability to launch at her father once he started tearing open the present.No, the reason Gamora waited until the last possible second was because she didn’t want Elspeth to get too bored. A prank wouldn’t do if her daughter wasn’t having fun.As it was, Gamora had a little girl giggling in her ear almost nonstop. Another good thing about the mask was that it muffled any quiet sounds of child laughter that would have been very suspicious coming from a wrapped gift.“What if he doesn’t peak?” Elspeth asked, and Gamora paused. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that Peter might not peak at the huge, very inviting present on the table. She knew he wouldn’t be expecting a prank coming from a present for him on the day of their anniversary. She hadn’t even considered the possibility that her husband might not peak at his present.“I guess you might have to make some rustling noises if he doesn’t go for it on his own.”“Like this?” Elspeth asked, shaking the box she was inside.“A bit more subtle, baby.”“Like this?” The question was followed by a soft little scuttling of scratching mice.“Perfect. Oh, I think he’s coming! Shh. I’ll be watching from the monitor to tell you when to get ready to pop out. I’ll tell you when to scratch if he doesn’t go for it too. Just keep quiet.”After he walked into the kitchen, Peter was clearly intrigued by the big present sitting right out in the open.He went over to the table to take a closer look, inspected it even, but it was only a visual inspection. He didn’t peak. Poking around, maybe, but not peaking.Gamora, meanwhile, kept her daughter comprised with constant updates of exactly what her father was doing in the kitchen at the moment, so she wouldn’t have to whisper and ask.Peter had resigned himself to making some toast and then immediately seeking Gamora and asking if he could open the bigass present on the table right now, and if she said no, maybe beg her a couple times and ask when they would be doing present exchanges if not first thing in the morning when his curiosity was already killing him.He would’ve been tempted to shake it to guess what was inside, but Gamora got mad at him last time he did that when they were doing some sort of present holiday or whatever. She liked it to be a total surprise.Still, she couldn’t expect him to wait until that night to open it, right? As it was, the gift was just taunting him. He couldn’t wait to see what was inside. He had no idea what it could even be. Something that big had to be awesome. He wondered if it was like a romantic thing because of their anniversary, or if it was just a gift for him of something she thought he would like or enjoy. He couldn’t imagine what would need a box that big other than weapons, and weapons were more of Rocket’s thing.Oh he couldn’t wait. It would be so mean just leaving it out there on the table if she expected him to wait until later to open it.Nope, he was gonna make breakfast and then immediately find his wife wherever she was on the ship and give her the please please please please please puppy dog routine to open his present. The same one their daughter did every time she knew she was getting a present. She learned it from him.Peter popped his toast on his plate, pulling out a jar of Prolaxlian jelly to spread on it, but then he… heard something.He looked around for the source of the noise, but nothing had changed about the room. It had already gone silent. He had chalked it up to his imagination when he heard it again and whipped around. Okay, that time he knew it was coming from the present on the table.He stared at it long and hard, the persistent silence long enough to make him think he went crazy after the second time he heard it.Then it started up again, just a few seconds, a soft little scratching noise. Almost… panicked. Like something was inside. It was way too fucking early in the morning for something to be this spooky.It’s not like a present could be haunted, right?Well, with the things they’d seen, in a galaxy as crazy as this one, he couldn’t rule it out.Oh god, what if Gamora got him an accursed object?His heart was hammering in his ears as he slowly crept towards the table, bending low like maybe the freaky gift wouldn’t be able to see him or something.He placed his hand on the top. No reaction. No noise. No response.Response? Who was he fucking kidding? How the hell was a present supposed to respond? The general inanimateness of the object didn’t calm his racing heart, and he had a terrible sense of foreboding as he carefully, carefully peeled the tape off, wincing slightly and holding his breath when he ripped the wrapping paper a bit.He was kinda slow about it, but something about unwrapping the present felt dangerous. So he was careful with it.He’d just pulled back all the wrapping paper when-Over the com link came the most high pitched scream Gamora had ever heard, and she was laughing so hard she was in tears.She hadn’t stopped laughing by the time she made her way to the kitchen, clutching her stomach and cracking up, and the sight she was greeted with made her laugh even harder.Peter had let out the most shrill, terrified scream when the masked vigilante launched herself into his arms, stumbling and actually falling backwards onto the floor with the frightening creature landing on top of his chest.It was also the cutest thing in the world, seeing Elspeth sitting on top of her father and playfully scratching and swiping at his chest with ferocious (adorable) paws and saying “Rawr, rawr.”It seemed he had already resigned himself to being his daughter’s mauling victim; he appeared quite adjusted to his new spot on the floor when he looked up at the sound of Gamora’s laughter. He gave his wife a long suffering sigh.“You know you almost gave me a heart attack, right?” Peter asked her, the kind of tiredness and acceptance in his tone that could only come from a patient father who’d just been scared half to death by his 7 year old.“Happy anniversary.”
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They were nervous, leaving the ship without her.Gamora and Peter were going to see a movie on Xandar, and the plan was to leave Elspeth with the rest of the family while they both got out of the ship at the same time without her in tow, so they could celebrate their wedding anniversary together, just the two of them.But it made them both antsy to leave her behind for two plus hours when it wasn’t absolutely necessary. When they actually went on missions, usually Mantis babysat her on the ship and ran mission point. Sometimes Peter or Gamora would stay behind instead (or in addition to). But that was on dangerous missions, and not over two hours of pure leisure activity.They knew they were lucky to have their family. They were probably some of the most well rested parents in the galaxy, considering the it takes a village approach that came with their four teammates/family members who lent the two parents a helping hand all the time.Drax had been especially helpful when it came to their novice child rearing. They were lucky to have their family. Living with four other adults that love spoiling their baby rotten also meant that they could still have sex pretty much whenever they wanted. They didn’t have to plan around naptime or something like some other parents had to do. They always had four reasonably responsible babysitters on hand.But going out to see a movie, just for fun, made both of them feel uneasy. Made them feel anxious for leaving her behind for something as frivolous as this when it wasn’t absolutely necessary.Hey, they lived on a spaceship for crying out loud. They spent 98% of their time in the same enclosed space with the same four people cause that was just their life. They were both essentially stay-at-home, traveling parents. So maybe they’d developed some slight separation anxiety when it came to their 5 month old daughter. When they made stops on safe planets (like Xandar) they always brought Elspeth with them on their excursions to whatever marketplace or supply run they were making since it was always good to get off ship whenever you could, when most of your life consisted of interplanetary travel, and that was true for their daughter too. Whenever they made port or docked in a safe area, Elspeth always came off ship with them. It was only in dangerous places or when they were actually on missions that Elspeth stayed behind with someone watching her.The new parents both felt uneasy about being on Xandar and leaving their baby on the ship so they could do something as frivolous as seeing a movie.“Maybe we could just- bring her with us?” Peter suggested, nervously, looking back at where the Benetar was still parked as they walked away from their ship and their baby on board.Two hours. They could do this.Gamora was very tempted to take him up on that. Instead, she grabbed his arm and gave him a gentle pull forward. “Peter, this will be good for us. Besides, the loud noises will scare her.”Peter nodded, trying to internalize what she just said. She was right. He knew she was right. That didn’t make it any easier.He looked back at his wife- Gamora’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and the way her posture was so straight and held so even practically screamed tension.Peter wrapped his arm around her waist, conforming to her side. “Sorry,” he kissed her cheek. “I know this isn't easy for you either.”Gamora gave him an understanding smile, snuggling into him as they continued walking.They've done movie date night before, but it’s usually back at home. On their ship. That’s where movie night usually happened in their relationship. Romantic date night snuggling together under the covers, maybe getting a little frisky with the lights turned low and their door locked- they’ve been together for years, and that’s what their normal movie date night looked like. They tended to prefer private date scenarios when it came down to it anyway.It was something that had initially surprised her about Peter when they first struck up a romantic relationship, before she realized it wasn’t all that surprising. He’d always liked staying up until the proverbial dawn with her, in those late night conversations and soft talks between the two of them back when they were just platonic teammates on watch.Like the first romantic moment they almost had back when they first met, when they were on Knowhere with the backdrop of a paint swatch galaxy, swirling stars, and he told her of the legend of Kevin Bacon for the first time. When Peter shared the first real bit of emotional intimacy with her about his mother and the walkman. When Gamora listened to the music and they got real close. When they almost maybe sort of danced, and came so close to kissing before she threatened him with a knife.You know, that romantic moment.Gamora herself preferred the quiet moments where it was just the two of them. Instead of being in a crowd of strangers, out somewhere that was loud, public, and full of people.Gamora hated people. She only liked Peter. She only wanted to spend time with him, and she didn't want people ruining it.She had initially thought that he would prefer some loud, boisterous activity when they first started dating though, like the bars he used to frequent so much. But he didn't. It became abundantly clear that they both preferred the quiet, intimate spaces where it was just the two of them when it came to romance and dates.They have had many movie date nights together before. They just weren't usually at movie theaters.But things were different now.They weren't ‘dating’ anymore, not in that sense. They were married. Tonight they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. They had a baby at home now. 5 months old, and she already had both their hearts.And they knew that if they carried on with their tradition of having romantic movie date night in their bedroom, and if they left Elspeth in the care of one of the guardians elsewhere on the ship, at the very first sound of crying either Peter or Gamora (or both of them) would come rushing out of the bedroom in order to quell their child's tears and assure her that Mamma or Daddy was there. They knew this, because that's what's always ended up happening whenever they tried to get some alone time for romantic datesy stuff at home like they used to.Especially since Elspeth had been teething lately. Her first one. And she was crying a lot more often from it. They knew they wouldn't be able to turn up the volume on a movie without being crushed by guilt even though they knew the other guardians were amazing babysitters and had everything handled when the teething pain started getting to her and the wailing began.So movie night, just the two of them, in a theater. Elspeth back at home with Drax and Mantis seeing to her every need, fawning over her and spoiling her rotten, and with Rocket sometimes peering over her to twitch his whiskers in the way that made her clap and giggle in amusement. Even Groot liked to play with her from time to time (they made sure to let him be involved with Elspeth since the day she was brought home so as to prevent animosity and sibling rivalry- instead showing him how to hold and support the head of his baby sister, while they both made sure to have regular one on one time with Groot like always).Their relationship was still important too- Peter and Gamora. As was celebrating their anniversary.They did get uninterrupted alone time regularly on the ship, one of the many blessings of having a large family with many adults living together was the child rearing benefits. The new parents still got their alone time.Just- they couldn't count on it lasting much longer than an hour. Watching a whole two and a half hour movie in their bedroom?Yeah right.That's what had them seeing something at a Xandarian public theater for this particular date night. Movies were kinda a thing for them, you know? Tradition.Going about it this way was new and different, but they were giving it a try.“This is boring,” Gamora whispered, only 15 minutes in to the movie. Excruciating might have been a better word for it. Awful worked too. Gamora usually had patience for things the others (and especially her childish and extremely distractible husband) didn’t, but even this was killing her. It would be more entertaining staring at a blank screen than listening to this drivel and trying, just trying to find some semblance of a plot to follow in this droning mess.“I know,” Peter whispered back. “Would’ve been funner with Elspeth.”Gamora smiled, even though someone in the row in front of them turned around to give them a dirty look for their very quiet whispering.“Wanna cut our losses and head back?” Peter asked.“Not yet.”He was confused why then, Gamora stood up and pulled him into standing up with her when she shot down his idea of leaving. She gave him a soft tug on his hand with a smile, so he followed her, no questions asked. Of course he did. He’d follow her anywhere. To the ends of the universe and back.It seemed like she had changed her mind about leaving when she led him down the aisle of the theater by hand, back down the little hallways on the sides that went under the floor of the seats they were just in, towards the exit.Safe to say Peter was pretty damn surprised when Gamora grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into the darkness with her hard and fast, pulled him into her.He didn't know what was even happening, and the only reason he managed not to let out a surprised yelp or other noise when she suddenly yanked him into the shadows was because her lips on his muffled anything that would've come from his mouth.Gamora carded her fingers through his hair and bit his lower lip, giving it a nice tug and drawing it out before slipping her tongue past. And he followed her lead. Crowding her against the wall, his body against hers and pressing her into it as they deepened the kiss. Using the point of contact between them to spark something more, licking fire to flames.Peter boxed her in, his arms beside her head, leaning forward on them to support himself against the wall as he slotted his knee between hers. Gamora shifted, spreading her legs slightly to better facilitate her grinding down on him. Not quite bucking her hips, but really just canting them and rubbing against him because it felt damn good.She missed this. The making out and heavy petting in a public place, it's been so long since they'd done this.Yes, oh how she's missed this.Feeling him like this.Gamora ran her hands under his shirt, up his back, around his front, just touching his torso however she saw fit. Her hands appreciatively grazing his skin, feeling his warmth beneath her fingertips was an indulgence she always liked to partake in, imbibe in his body.She trailed her fingers up the dusting of hair on his stomach, inevitably pulling up his shirt as her hands moved up and up, rubbing his chest with both hands. Peter gasped into her lips when Gamora tweaked his nipple, she always liked the reaction she got from teasing him like this. She alternated between rubbing and just tugging on his nipples while she ground down on his leg and kissed him with such desire and such force, all claiming her familiar territory, wanting to be closer too. She was practically shoving her tongue down his throat, and it still wasn't enough and yet it felt like everything all at once.Peter gripped her hip to pull her higher up onto his thigh so she was rutting against his erection, and Gamora moaned. His hands weren’t stationary, not anymore. They were moving up and down her body, feeling her up, kissing her so deeply as he pet her sides, cupping and palming her breasts, and Gamora moaned softly into his opens lips that were just made to catch the noises she was making.It felt so good, knowing they had to remain quiet lest they risk discovery, knowing there were plenty of people watching the movies, strangers that could stumble upon them as they made out all sloppy and hot and gave in to their bodies calling for each other.It felt so good knowing there was a whole theater in the middle of their movie right above them, down the aisle, sitting in their seats and completely unsuspecting as they got up to inappropriate things back here. So close.“God, I love you,” Peter panted, his voice a hoarse promise of things to come. He was whispering in that way he did that wasn't quite deep since he put barely anything behind it from his vocal cords (they were trying to be quiet after all), and even though it was more like a silhouette of Peter's voice, it still contained all the strained vocal cues of a very aroused Star-lord and made her spine tingle.Gamora breathed out a smile, the fondness and warmth spreading across her face even as she kissed him, though smiling like so kinda inhibited their kissing at least a bit, she couldn't help it. She had to smile at that. Smile at him.Gamora tilted her head down between them, breaking their lips apart and pressing her forehead to his, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck and choosing to give him one, two, many kisses instead keeping up the long one. It was easier to do the press and mold for two seconds before breaking apart and then going right back for more when she couldn't stop smiling long enough to keep up their hot and heavy make out session.He clearly didn't mind. The quicker kisses were a little bit noisier, with the sound of their lips sealing together and breaking apart again and again, but so be it. It was nice.Gamora ghosted her fingers up his back, beneath his shirt, drawing patterns on his skin, encouraging him closer, even though he was already as close as he could be. She loved how solid his body was against hers, how physically there he was, with her. He was hers. Now, in this moment, and forever. She had him for good. And it felt fantastic.Now this was fun. This was date night.“How was the movie? How was your date?” Mantis chirped once they got back.“Eh, it started out a bit rough, but we ended up having fun,” Peter shot his wife a wink, and Gamora rolled her eyes.“How were things here?” She directed her question to Mantis, though everything seemed to be in order. Elspeth was sitting on her baby blanket on the floor, playing with the multi colored cubes and odd shaped blocks Peter had gotten for her. She looked happy as could be, completely absorbed in her play (though she had looked up when she heard her parent’s voices).“Fun! We had much fun here too!”“Aw, hey baby!” Peter crouched down to swoop Elspeth up, wrapping her in his arms and rising so fast their daughter giggled in delight. “Missed you so much,” he said, kissing her on the forehead, wiggling his finger into her tiny grasping palms as he held her.Gamora stood on, watching her family with a smile on her face. This might be her favorite anniversary yet.
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It shouldn’t be all that shocking. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight. It was a sight that always filled his chest with warmth.Gamora sitting on the ground in front of their 7 month old daughter who’s having the time of her life in her special suspension swing courtesy of uncle Rocket, lightly bouncing as her mother sings her lullabies.Elspeth loved her little swing, loved how her toes touched the floor so she could keep herself bouncing, up and down, up and down. She either wanted to be in someone’s arms or in the swing, no exception. Peter had been playing a half hearted game of patty cake with her in it the other day, and Gamora had come over, curious as to the hand motions accompanied with the rhyme.It seemed she had added hand motions to her own entertainment, really just holding their daughter’s pudgy little hands in the center of her palms and slowly moving them in a circular wax on wax off motion in rhythm to the lullaby.That wasn’t strange.That wasn’t what stunned him still.It was the words Gamora was singing that had him stopped in his tracks.Gamora had their daughter’s hands in hers, singing a lullaby as she moved both of their hands together in time to the melody, and Peter was stunned because he’s heard that song before.At least, he’s heard the first part. It was like a memory brought up from the depths of childhood that he didn’t recall until this very moment.He forgot about that song, until he heard Gamora singing it.Then the memories came flooding back of his mother singing the same words to him as a toddler, as she tucked him in and kissed him goodnight throughout his childhood before…He had completely forgotten about that song.Didn’t remember it until now.“Gamora, where did you hear that?” Peter asked, walking numbly forward, and the question came out choked.“Hear what?” She asked, surprised, looking up at him now standing over her, momentarily pulled out of her reverie of singing lullabies to their daughter.“That song.”Gamora frowned, brows furrowing in confusion, but she still answered him. “My mother would sing it to me when I was young.”Before she could ask him what was wrong, why he looked so worked up and alarmed even, Peter had another request. “Can you do it again? Sing it again?”Gamora gave him a weird look, then turned back to their little girl and gave her one of those ‘your father is crazy’ looks, but then her voice started again at that achingly familiar tune.“I see the moon, the moon sees me, the moon sees somebody that I don’t see,” she trilled down the rungs of the melody, her voice soft and smooth, silvery and mesmerizing. She took a breath between the first and the second verse.“God bless the moon, and god bless me, and god bless the somebody that I don’t see,” Peter finished for her. She didn’t even open her lips.Her eyes were wide in surprise as she looked to him for an explanation. Technically in Gamora’s native language the song was asking Alma for blessings for the moon and her and the somebody she didn’t see, but the translators took care of the minor linguistic differences, it was still the same tune, the same meaning, the same story.“That- my mom used to sing that to me as a kid,” Peter chuckled in disbelief.“She did?”“Yeah. That was… a long time ago. I think I had kinda forgot about it until hearing you singing it just now. But what’s the second part? I didn’t recognize that at all. How does it go?”Gamora flushed a bit because she wasn’t exactly used to being the center of attention when focused on singing of all things, but she’d lay down her life for Peter if he only asked (he would undoubtedly do the same). Singing a few lines that might make her feel a bit self conscious was a small sacrifice to make for the man she loved.She held their daughter’s hands again, making the same circular motions with the music she supplied.“If I get to heaven, before you do, I’ll make a hole, and pull you through. I’ll write your name, on every star, and that way the world, won’t seem so far.”
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“Mama! Baby's crying!” Elspeth shouted from the hallway, just a few steps away from their door, it sounded like. Suspiciously absent were the sound of children tears. She did this from time to time. When her mother and father were having “private time” in their room. Because Elspeth knew that she wasn't supposed to interrupt when her parents retreated into their bedroom right about mid day for some alone time. It was her room too. It was technically all of their rooms. While their current ship was undoubtedly much bigger than the original Guardian's vessel (RIP the Milano), they all still lived on a spaceship with a finite amount of room. Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Groot, Gamora, Peter, and their two daughters, Elspeth and Meredith. The girls did have an area of their own elsewhere on the ship, kinda like a play area, in a way, but they technically didn't have their own bedroom. The girls just slept with mom and dad every night. Hence why adult activities happened in the middle of the day, when Peter and Gamora could actually be alone, and somebody like Mantis or Drax could keep the girls occupied if need be.All of this is to say that their 7 year old daughter figured out a hack. If she were to knock on their locked door and say it was for her 2 year old sister, the door would inevitably open and she could race inside and grab a toy she left on the floor.“Did you-?” Peter asked, looking up from between her legs, then to the door, which Gamora was realizing she had left unlocked. Her eyes widened as the panic set in because no, no she didn't. And it looked like their blanket had fallen on the floor or something because there was definitely nothing to cover up with on top of their bed.Peter sat up, looking back at her with eyes just as wide, and Gamora shoved him off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thunk just as their bedroom door slid open so at least he would be out of sight.Elspeth stood in the doorway, holding her little sister like she was about to present her or something, carrying her under the armpits and letting her legs dangle in exactly the way you would expect a 7 year old to carry a 2 year old.Note: Meredith was not crying at all. Not in the slightest. Even though Elspeth was almost holding her like a ragdoll to use as proof for 'I totally had to interrupt even though I know I'm not supposed to cause look'.Gamora was now sitting up in bed, still completely naked, which wasn't that big a deal. It would be much harder to explain if Peter was still between her legs instead of safely hidden behind the bed and silently groaning on the floor right now.Elspeth narrowed her eyes, evidently scanning the room for her father, looking perplexed when he was nowhere to be found, even though this was Mommy and Daddy's time in their room. Then she saw a bit of brown hair sticking out from behind the bed. She leaned down, and suddenly Peter saw both Elspeth and Meredith's little faces peeking under the bed, the elder one giving him a weird look (it was fine, the blanket was on the floor, so the only thing visible was literally his face). Peter just gave her a little wave, wiggling his fingers at her, and Elspeth frowned, furrowing her brow. So much for hiding.Gamora looked highly unamused though. “Elspeth, you know you're only supposed to interrupt for emergencies. Close the door and wait in the hallway. I'll be out to talk to you in a moment.”Elspeth pouted, evidently that hadn't gone to plan. Still, she reluctantly did as her mother said.Once the door was shut and they were alone again, Gamora ducked her head over the side to her husband still grimacing on the floor.“Sorry, I panicked,” she whispered with a wince.“It's fine,” Peter waved her off, “I'd rather conk my head on the floor than have to explain what an erection is, so really all good. It's fine,” he reiterated at her guilty look.“I'll be right back,” she promised, dipping down to kiss him on the forehead. Then Gamora got up and slipped on her robe to go have a short conversation with a little girl who knew better, and make sure to lock their door when she came back. Peter gave her a thumbs up, trying not to let out another groan. God, maybe this is what getting old was like. Going from being able to be smashed through walls and take a serious beat down and still walk away to genuinely groaning from some serious pain from your wife shoving you off the bed in the middle of sex. Well, Gamora was pretty freaking strong, so being shoved by her and getting hurt made sense, regardless of the circumstance.Peter sighed as the door shut behind her. Yeah, he totally was not the right pick for going to have a responsible parent conversation right now, cause there was no way his hard on would be able to be covered up by just a robe. Good call, Gamora.As it was, he'd probably just lay on the floor until she came back and get her to help him up anyway. She did push him after all.
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“No, no, I don't want them to see it,” Peter said, insisting, and Gamora's expression softened. She didn't want to press it, because obviously the mere idea of it was upsetting him.It had upset him everytime she brought it up, no matter how gently she tried to broach the topic.This was the- what? Third? Fourth time Peter had been to Earth since he was a child? All four times were with Gamora.This was the first time their daughters had been to Earth. Either of them.She understood Peter's reluctance on coming back here- how hard it was, how conflicting it was for him every time. How it made him happy and so very sad, how it wasn't as easy as just writing it off as good or bad, it just was. This last trip had been her favorite, and she could tell it was his too. There was something healing about touching down on this ground with their daughters, splashing in the lake he played in as a child while he held Mer's hands and had her kick in the water. Only for them both to be overtaken by the splash of Elspeth jumping in and shouting ‘cannonball!’ (Gamora wasn't really certain what a cannonball was, though Peter always said it, and she highly doubted that he knew what one was either). She took lots of pictures of her family happy and laughing before setting the camera aside and joining in on the fun.The girls were tuckered out in their hotel room, completely exhausted from the day's excitement.It was such a special thing for them to be able to come here, and Gamora was grateful for the experience.It was hard for him to come back to Terra, but Gamora didn't have a home planet to revisit anymore, so it was something she was grateful their daughters could have. Their father's home planet. That they could see, touch down, feel the ground beneath their feet, breath in the air, feel the warmth of the sun. She was thankful they could have this.“No,” Peter said again, his jaw clenched, more forceful this time. “I don't want them seeing it. Either of them.” His voice was cold, hard, that end of discussion tone.They were old enough now to understand what it was, what it meant. Meredith was 7 years old, and Elspeth had just turned 12.He knew why this was a big deal for Gamora. Why all of this was, and why it was such a big deal to be able to share all of this with their daughters. She didn't have a home planet to go back to. Zen-whoberi was destroyed, and Gamora didn't even have a place to mourn for all those who had been lost. Their daughters would never be able to visit their mother's home planet, so it meant a lot for them to be able to go to Terra. It meant a lot to Gamora to be able to spend this time together as a family on Peter's home planet, and to be able to give their daughter's this experience, this memory.They had both lost so much in their life, but Peter did have a planet full of generational history to go back to. A culture that could be witnessed and shared. What Gamora had was a name. She was able to pass on her mother's name- Elspeth- to their daughter, and that's what was left of Zehoberei culture.So yeah, they both had moms who died when they were kids, and yeah, they named their kids in honor of their mothers.They would only be on Earth for another day or two. Peter's home planet. Gamora didn't have a planet to return to, didn't have a place to mourn.He still didn't want either of them seeing Meredith Quill's name on a gravestone.“Peter, we might never come back here. They might never come back here,” she reminded him softly, taking his hand, looking fondly over at their sleeping girls. “They don't have to say goodbye. Just let them say hello.”He didn't have any words to that. Just laid his head on her shoulder, letting out a shaky breath as the tears rolled down his cheeks. Gamora cradled his head to her, stroking his hair, humming as she held him close.Peter swallowed, his throat thick. This was the second time he'd been here, to this small town Missouri graveyard. It was beautiful, though. The flowers were in bloom, so pretty and bright in the sunshine. So full of life. He didn't remember what season it was, the first time he went and saw mom's grave, but it was spring now, and the light breeze surrounded by the fields wildflowers in the background made for quite a scene.He was glad, though. That they came this time.He didn't know what it would feel like- to see Elspeth laying down the flowers she'd picked, to hear Meredith excitedly chatter to ‘Gramma’, telling her that she was named after her, telling her all about space cause she knows she didn't get to go, but insisting she would've loved it.To see Gamora crouched down next to her, smiling, as the girls said hello.He was more or less watching from a distance, leaning up against a tree about 15 feet away, because it was hard enough not straight up bawling when he wasn't standing right there. Besides, it was a nice moment. He didn't want to ruin it by, you know, violently sobbing and stuff. He much preferred watching his family being happy right now.Gamora had it covered. Crouching on the ground and helping Elspeth arrange her flowers with a soft smile on her face while Meredith excitedly went on and on, the very image of healing, all soft and warm there in the sunlight.Gamora looked up at him, and Peter gave her a weak smile, a little wave. She smiled back, and he found himself grateful for the experience. That she was there and able to give their daughters this, when he couldn't. That she was able to give him this. Okay, yeah, he was definitely crying now. Quietly, and in a good way, light tears slipping down his cheeks, his heart kinda aching with this incredibly wholesome tightness.Peter pulled out the camera and snapped a couple pictures, because he knew he didn't want to forget this. He wanted to preserve this moment for as long as he could, this memory.It was so nice.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been strange, at the news. She had never seen Gamora so happy. All nervous and chattering, bumbling, like she and her dumbass husband had switched places.
It took a moment for it to sink in- that the nervous, giddy energy and slight swell of her stomach were connected. That Gamora was… excited, and wished to share the development with her, but was clearly unsure of what Nebula’s reaction would be, worried it wouldn’t be pleasant.
Nebula blinked, frowning slightly, the rest of her face completely neutral. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you’re my sister,” Gamora answered, didn’t even need to think about it. “I wanted to tell you first, before the others. It felt right, you being the first to know. Technically, you’re third, after Peter, and I think Mantis already figured it out on her own, but I wanted you to know.” She had started rubbing her belly as she spoke in a move that seemed natural for her. Like it was already habit.
Nebula was silent for several long moments. Then, “And you are… happy with this?”
The words aren’t said with any judgement. They’re soft, almost subdued. Trying to understand.
Gamora nodded, looking down at her stomach, a warm smile spreading across her face. Her expression was fond when she looked back up at her sister, the warmth rounding out in her eyes, something peaceful and settled in her happiness.
Still smiling, Gamora nodded again. “It feels like…” her mind runs through many words, trying to find the right one. Moving on. Healing. Family. Love. Home. Hope. “Growth.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Not me, you. You sit down, Mama,” Elspeth ordered, taking the dried flower crown from her mother’s hands before it could be placed upon her own head of dark little curls. That was usually what the little girl wanted- to wear it herself like a game of dress up whenever Gamora brought it out after a little begging.
It was a very precious gift, after all. It was a surprise Groot had made for her years and years ago, and though dried and preserved, the memento would be quite easily damaged if anything were to happen to it.
Gamora tilted her head to the side, more surprised and amused than anything, but she soon followed her daughter’s orders, sitting down on the floor and dipping her head forward so Elspeth could place it easier. She did her best to remain as still as possible, but it was difficult not laughing when she could see Elspeth sticking her tongue out in that concentrated way of hers, placing the ring of flowers so carefully on Gamora’s head like it might disintegrate, then shifting and nudging it until it’s
just perfect
.
Finally, when the placement was just right, Elspeth beamed at her, looking so proud. “Okay, you can sit up now,” she said, sitting criss cross on the closet floor.
Gamora had already pulled out her wedding outfit and hung it on one of the lower rungs of the closet, so all she had to do was reach for it before the skirt was between them, spilling out and covering both their laps.
“It’s so pretty, Mama,” Elspeth murmured, her voice all quiet and soft. She liked the skirt the best, just touching it. Petting it, really. All the layered fabrics, the patchwork nature of it, the hand sewn designs made for a tactile experience, and apparently Elspeth really liked the texture.
Gamora smiled, her own heart feeling so full. In that bittersweet way where her eyes felt like they were getting ready to start welling up, and her smile was small but real, her heart happy and full of love.
She remembered doing this when she was a child. Asking if she could see her mother's wedding outfit, if she could touch it, promising to be real careful as she handled the flower crown her mother wore when she got married.
This wasn't Elspeth's first time asking to see it either, handling the dress with the same wonder in her eyes that hurt Gamora's heart in a good, wholesome way.
Suddenly, Elspeth turned her wide eyes back up at her. “Where did you get it?”
Elspeth could tell. It was so special and pretty. And beautiful, just like Mama. She knows it's a special memory dress from when her parents got married, but even if she didn't know that, she would still be able to tell it was important. She could feel it. And see, just looking at it. It was special.
Elspeth has a favorite dress (it's yellow, and blue, and white, and pink, the colors washing together like her watercolor paints, all soft and sunset looking). Since it's her favorite dress, it's also usually her dirtiest dress. She likes wearing it and running around and playing in the mud and dirt when they're not off world and actually on a planet that has mud and dirt to play in.
Seriously. Just a few weeks back the Guardians were on a freakin’ mountain tasked with getting to a high enough elevation for this specific fungi to grow- anyways, it wasn't a dangerous trip, just the canopy and the interconnected trees of the forest meant you couldn't fly up there and the whole thing had to be done on foot.
So basically, they were on a hiking trail.
Elspeth kept running on ahead of the group, running back and forth, with her parents occasionally calling out to remind her to not go too far ahead, though for the most part she remained in eyesight before running back again.
Then, suddenly, she dropped to her knees, having slipped, tripped, or fallen (or some combination of the three). She was only a couple meters away.
“Elspeth?” Peter asked. She didn't immediately get back up, but she didn't start crying either.
Peter made it to her first, since he was at the front of the group, and just a few strides away from his daughter. She didn't answer. Once Peter had circled around and sat on his haunches in front of her he saw tears in her eyes, and her lip quivering.
“Oh baby, are you okay,” he said, gently taking her hands in his and checking for scrapes, but they were all good. Maybe her knees then? He thought she had hurt herself falling.
Elspeth nodded as big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I- I ripped it.” She was full on blubbering now at the huge tear in her favorite, favorite dress.
As much as he hated seeing his daughter upset, he was relieved that the problem was torn clothing and not her actually getting injured.
Peter gave her a reassuring smile. “Aw, baby, it's okay,” he said, gently sweeping her hair back and cradling her cheek, brushing away her tears. “We can sew it back together as soon as we get home, alright? Patch it up, good as new. No biggie. We can fix it real easy. First thing when we get home.”
“Promise?” She asked, lip still quivering, though her tears were starting to dry.
He smiled, holding out his pinky and entangling it with hers. “Promise.”
“How'd you get so good at this?” Elspeth commented, watching her father sew up her dress easily and seamlessly, pulling the needle and thread through the fabric and fixing it just like he promised.
She knew her mother and father had different skills. Momma was better at throwing knives, Daddy was better at cooking with them. Dad had good aim with a blaster, and Momma could beat anyone with a sword. It's just that dad cooked for the ship an awful lot, so breaking out his sewing skills didn't happen as often.
Elspeth regularly helped her father with meals as his kitchen helper, but Peter nimbly hand sewing something like he'd been doing it his whole life was more of a rare sight. It didn't even take him five minutes before he fixed her dress.
“These?” Peter asked with a chuckle, wiggling his fingers at her, “These are my thievin’ fingers.”
So yes, Elspeth had a favorite dress that was super special and important to her, but Mama’s dress was special in a different way. She wanted to know how they got clothes this special. That’s why she asked where it came from.
Gamora smiled down at her daughter. “Your father helped me make it,” she paused, inclining her head. “Okay, he made most of it. I helped a bit,” Gamora admitted with a chuckle.
Elspeth's eyes widened in disbelief, her head pulling back. “
Daddy
made this?” She sounded shocked even, and Gamora laughed.
Elspeth knew her dad could
fix
dresses. She didn't know he could
make
dresses. Especially extra special ones like Momma's pretty wedding skirt.
“Yeah, he did most of the hard work. I helped with these,” Gamora said, specifically pointing out the hand stitched designs that held great cultural significance for her people, created from her childhood memories. “I used to ask to see my mamma’s dress when I was a little girl. So your daddy helped me make a dress like the one your grandmother wore when she was married.”
Elspeth’s face fell into something more serious and thoughtful, smoothing her hands over the skirt again. “She’s like me, right?”
“Hmm?”
Elspeth didn’t look at her mother, though. No, she seemed entranced, staring down at the dress as she stroked the designs, an intensity in her eyes that was well beyond her years.
The little girl pursed her lips, following the trail of the embroidered lines, tracing the pattern with her fingers. “She's Elspeth like me, right?”
Gamora nodded in answer. That’s who she was named after. Gamora’s mother.
“She was beautiful. Just like you too,” Gamora said, affectionately curling her finger behind Elspeth's ear, before she very quickly tickled her neck, making her laugh and squeal, trying to pull her neck in to keep it safe from tickling.
“Mama! Mama! Stop!” She giggled, batting away her hands.
Gamora laughed, scooping her little girl up in her arms, kissing her on the forehead, and then all over Elspeth’s sweet little face as she giggled to pieces under her mother’s attack. She tried covering up her face with her hands, but then Gamora just moved to kissing her head and her hair and her ear and her pulled in little neck and her shoulders and her chin and her hands and her forehead again, cause
nowhere
was safe from Mama’s kisses.
“I love you, baby,” Gamora said, suddenly soft and serious, but no less loving.
Elspeth peeked up at her mother, bright eyes peering up from between her fingers. “I love you too, Mama.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Elspeth shouted, zooming to where her father sat on the bench. Peter's eyes widened in surprise, but he was able to catch her and swoop her up in his arms before she went barreling over his knees.
“Hey kiddo, what's up?” He asked, holding her in his lap, his arms still wrapped around her. She certainly seemed excited about something. Though, she always seemed to have the over the top crazy hectic energy that only kids could have, so she could just be in the mood to run around and shout.
“I want a dress!” She proclaimed.
He blinked. She already had a bunch of dresses to her name, ones she had picked out all by herself. And while he would never say it, Peter honestly wished she would wear dresses a little less often than she did. With a kid as monkey climbing as she was, she could use the extra protection pants provided during a fall.
Okay, both he and Gamora could be a little protective of their family, their daughter included. It might surprise you to find out that, between the two of them, he was the hover parent. Some of it had to do with their childhoods, certainly. As a child back on her home planet, Gamora grew up in a rather impoverished village with a warm and tight knit community, where running around and getting a bit scraped up as they played in the fields was just a normal part of being a kid and growing up. Some scraped elbows after slipping and sliding in the dirt was just life when playing made up games and running and laughing with the other children.
Peter grew up in a rural area too, but he was a kinda loner kid, and all his scrapped cheeks and bloody hands were from getting into fights with the other boys his age- not cause of childhood happy wholesomeness, never fun and games. Then, well, Thanos and the Ravagers happened, and effectively ended Peter and Gamora's childhoods.
But it was their early formative years that probably explained why Gamora was comfortable with Elspeth exploring a little bit ahead of them on a wooded path as long as she stayed within eyesight/shouting distance with regular check ins with mom and dad. Meanwhile, Peter just wanted to stand directly under her every time she tried to climb a tree in case she fell, and felt like his heart was gonna break from the tears that always followed with every skinned knee.
If he could get Elspeth to wear knee pads all the time, he would.
But their daughter had too much of her mom in her, and loved being a wild child and felt right at home running around and playing in the dirt and wilderness outdoors on new planets, and Elspeth was very fond of pretty frilly things, so she climbed trees and collected rocks and tiny little lizards and weird creepy crawlies she had found under a log in light, ‘girly-girl’ dresses- which was fine. (They always made her put the living things back in their home- a cool looking pebble was something she could keep, but a squirmy little salamander thing that kept trying to jump out of her hands was something she had to return to where she found it).
But pants offered more protection to her legs every time she tripped and fell and ended up catching herself in the dirt, or cover her from getting some sort of abrasion from sliding off a tree weird. But Peter tried to chill out and use Gamora as his base for how he should react when even
he
could tell he was getting hovery when it came to their daughter's safety and Elspeth just being a kid.
He was thankful at least that Gamora's genetics meant that Elspeth had thicker, stronger skin than a normal human child. Still.
“Uh… okay,” he said, not really sure what brought this on. Usually they were at market and shopping when she saw some clothes (like a dress) she wanted. Not just like, at home.
“I guess next time we get planetside we could check out some shops-”
“
No no no,” she interrupted, actually covering his lips with her hands to get him to stop talking. “No, I don't wanna get a dress. I wan a dress from you. You
make
me a dress.”
Peter's brow furrowed. Sure, he had sewn up her dress after it tore like two weeks ago, but there was a lot of difference between the skill level required to stitch a torn dress than like make a dress from scratch. He wasn't a tailor. He had decent repair skill, but that was about it.
She still had her hands covering his mouth to shut him up, so Peter licked her hands because he was much more immature than his daughter could ever be.
“Ewww!” She pulled her hands back to herself, giggling and making a grossed out face, and then wiped them on his shirt, which yeah, fair.
He hated to disappoint, but he wasn't gonna lie to her, or pretend he could do something he seriously had no idea how to do. “I know I'm just the best at fixing dresses, but that don't mean I know how to make ‘em. Sorry, babe. That's why they have expert dressmakers. Your dad's an expert pilot and the greatest dad in the universe, but not an expert dressmaker. Other people are real good at that though. Where making awesome dresses is their whole job. And they learn how to make ‘em just right. We can go see if we can find one you like next time we go on a supply run, yeah? Sorry kiddo, don't really know how to do one from scratch myself. I'd probably make a really crappy dress if I even tried. We'll find you a good one, Els.”
She frowned, shook her head, then crossed her arms in a pout. “No. Nuh-uh. I saw. You're really good at dress makin’. I want you to make me one.
Please.
Please please please. I want you to make me a pretty special dress like the one you made Momma,” she said, giving him the puppy eyes. “I'll be real careful not to rip it,” she promised, thinking that was her father's reluctance on making her a special, special dress. “I'll be all soft and careful with it like Momma's wedding dress. Please. I want you to make me a special pretty dress like the one you made her.”
Clarity flashed in Peter's eyes as he finally got what brought this on and what this was all about, and where she got the idea of asking him to make her a brand new dress in the first place.
Okay, now he got it. Elspeth had been looking at Gamora's wedding dress again, and her mother had told her that her dad made it for their wedding.
Which was mostly true.
It wasn't from scratch, though. He didn't straight up make a dress.
He started with a base skirt that they had bought, and then Peter made a whole bunch of alterations to it so it was modeled after Gamora's childhood memories of her mother's wedding skirt. It took a lot of time and work too- wasn't exactly easy, but the finished product was really something to see.
He didn't know if he should bother trying to explain that though- that there was a difference between altering a dress and straight up making a dress. She probably didn't need to get bogged down with the details.
He thought about it for a moment more.
“Tell you what: how bout you and I make a little shopping trip and pick out all the materials for a dress and make it together. It'll be our little project. You and me. That sound good?”
Elspeth lit up like he'd just offered her the moon and the stars, completely free of charge. “
YES!!
”
“It's a deal, then.”