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It had been two months since the incident on Xandar, and Groot was now the equivalent in height and maturity of a terran five year old. Unfortunately for his primary caretaker, he also had the curiosity and energy of one.
There had been three incidents of tendrils in sockets (Which didn’t actually hurt Groot, but left a burnt patch on Rocket’s fur that now itched like crazy), five broken pots, and one day when the tape ribbon was pulled out of Awesome Mix Volume 1 (After which Gamora and Rocket had hid Groot for his own safety while Quill carefully wound the tape back in with a pencil).
Finally, it was Drax who decided that enough was enough.
“This tiny ship is no place for a child to spend so much time. He needs space to play and exercise. We need to find planets for him.”
It actually wound up being a moon that they landed on, uninhabited save for tiny fauna that was mostly resident to the oceans. The rest was thick, dense forest. Finding a site for the Milano took a good hour.
“I am Groot.” Groot squealed as he ran off the ship, immediately digging into the soil and looking up at the trees so tall that it was a wonder they didn’t end in space. Drax walked behind him, every inch of his face one large grin as he watched Groot play.
Gamora shook her head as she pulled herself up onto a low branch of a tree. “Here is hoping he actually sleeps through the night tonight.”
“Look at that.” Quill said, arms crossed while he leaned against the same tree. “I miss being five, don’t you.”
Gamora nodded, a small smile on her lips.
“Rocket?”
“I still am five, you numbnuts.”
“Really.” Quill didn’t miss a beat. “I thought you were six.”
“Why you…”
“Don’t shoot him Rocket.” Gamora warned. “We need him to fly the ship.”
“I can fly the ship.”
Gamora considered this, then gestured with her hand as if to say to the racoon ‘Be my guest.’
“Traitor.” Quill muttered.
“Where’d Groot go?” Rocket was immediately tense, senses on high alert as he scanned the clearing almost like a meerkat.
“Relax, Ranger Rick. Drax is with him.”
“A statement that I am sure sounded far more comforting in your head.” He turned to face the thief. “And if you call me Ranger Rick again, I will shoot you.”
“It’s a nickname. It’s endearing.”
“To a five year old…”
“You are a…”
“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”
Gamora jumped down from the branch. “Maybe we SHOULD go find Groot.” She turned to Quill. “Stay with the Milano in case they come back.”
“Yes Ma’am.” Quill said, touching two fingers to his forehead in a salute.
The raccoon shrugged. “Comm us if they do.”
Quill was already donning his walkman. “Will do, Rick.”
“I AM going to shoot him.” Rocket said as he followed Gamora into the wood. “Maybe only in the knees, if I am feeling nice.”
“If you keep scratching at the burn it will scar.”
“Nah, what’s one more.”
“Wait.” Gramora held up a finger. “I hear them.”
Sure enough, a child’s laughter was echoing through the jungle, so loud now that Rocket couldn’t believe that his sensitive hearing hadn’t picked it up earlier. And Groot wasn’t the only one laughing.
“Drax?”
If he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it. In fact, he still didn’t.
Drax had each of Groot’s hands in his own, and was spinning, fast enough to lift the sapling off the ground so that he flew round and round. Groot whooped with delight, begging to go faster, and although Drax heard it as “I am Groot” he somehow understood, and obliged.
“Incredible isn’t it.” Gamora said, kneeling down beside Rocket in their hiding place. “I guess you never really forget being a parent.”
“No…” Rocket shrugged. “I bet he misses it. I mean, of course he does. Anyone would. Wouldn’t they.”
Gamora smiled. “We should go back to the Milano. This is a private moment for them. We must not intrude.”
Rocket didn’t move.
“Rocket. Groot’s fine. You don’t need to watch over him today. Drax will protect...”
“I know I just...”
It took a moment for it to dawn on Gamora. When it did, she paused to rest a hand briefly on his head, then she stood and started to slowly head back towards the ship, before stopping and turning to quietly watch the raccoon as he in turn watched Groot enjoying his second childhood.
Gamora only had a few memories from before Thanos came, but they were good ones. Memories of helping her parents in the fields, and her father handing her fruit freshly picked from the plant.
Peter had his mother, and the music that they had shared.
Groot now had the Guardians, and was making new memories every day.
Rocket had scientists.
Somehow, Drax had managed to defy the laws of physics and make himself look small (well, less large) as he sat at the galley table, head rested in his hand and mind lost to memories while one free finger drew a circle over and over on the surface in front of him.
“Drax, need a favour.” Rocket exclaimed loudly as he rushed into the galley and leaped onto the table in one fluid movement. “Now it’s a big ask, and I am normally totally against asking for help, so that makes it an even bigger ask. For me. But I got word of a bounty on the next colony, and Gamora and me are heading out.”
“You wish for me to accompany you?” Drax said, rising. “I will fetch my…”
“No...we can handle it. But...well, with Groot so big now, I could do with someone watching over him while we’re gone. And between you me I don’t trust the Terran to look after himself. So...”
The smile that broke out across Drax’s face probably had enough energy to power a planet. “It would be my honour to care for our young friend while you are gone.”
“Well...that’s good. Good. I’ll let you have some of the bounty.”
“There will be no need. But thank you.”
“See you in a few hours.” Rocket jumped down from the table. “And don’t give him any of that Luphomoid fertiliser we picked up, it makes him hyperactive.”
“I will manage.”
“Yeah.” Rocket acknowledged him with a nod and stepped out into the corridor, where he found himself face to face with Gamora.
“There is no bounty in this system.”
“Play along, Princess. There’s a drink in it for yah.”
When Rocket and Gamora returned later, unsteady on their feet and, would you believe it, sans bounty, it was to find the self titled Star-Lord sat at the galley table with his face in his hands.
“Peter?” Gamora sat beside him, concerned, until she realised that beneath his hands, the thief was laughing.
“What’s gotten at you?”
Peter laughs again, and looks up.
“The feared warrior known as Drax the Destroyer has built a blanket fort in my cargo hold.”
“Her name was Kamaria.”
Peter quietly places a caffeine drink in front of Gamora. The assassin is more than slightly hungover, and she is going to kill Rocket as soon as they are away from witnesses, but she becomes more alert when Drax starts speaking.
“Tell us about her.” Peter says, quietly, as he takes the opposite seat.
“Kamaria loved animals.” Drax’s eyes focus on the table. “And she loved running. She would race the other children, and she would always win. She had...she had the energy of a thousand suns.” He looks at Peter. “Metaphor.”
Groot yawned as Rocket finished patting down the soil around him, adjusting the sun lamp and sitting back. “Fun day?”
“I am Groot.”
“Yeah.” Rocket made himself a bit more comfortable on the ledge. “What’d you get up to? Tell me everything.”