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nix-fics · 9 months

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Rocket's Little Girl

Chapter Five

A light laughter rang throughout the Milano's halls. Phoenix was seated by the bubble window while Finnick told her little jokes and stories.

The two were stationed in the hull of the ship in the glass area, somewhere in the ship a soft 80s tune was floating through the air.

“How'd you meet Cinna?” Phoenix questioned “Not to be pushy or anything-”

Finnick grinned, “You’re fine, I had been trapped in some, lets just call it shady business, till Cinna showed up and helped me out of there. Now we’re trying to help others escape whatever situation they might be trapped in.”

“Wow, that's really great.” Phoenix nodded. Rubbing her hands down her legs as if she were dusting off dirt.

“What about you,” he began, “How’d you end up with this group?”

“Well, you know. Abducted by aliens when I was a kid. It's like a free pass to join. Basic sad story starter.” Phoenix snorted dryly.

Finick chuckled, “Yeah, I understand what you mean.”

The conversation fizzled out but the silence wasn’t awkward, but more so pleasant. A song Phoenix was unfamiliar with played quietly in the background creating a comforting ambiance.

A cough interrupted the moment. Phoenix’s head swiveled to see Peter standing behind the two arms crossed, staring at the pair with a pointed look on his face.

Finnick turned slowly to look at the leather-clad man. “Do you need something?”

“The location we're meeting your boss at, so we can drop you off and get paid.”

Phoenix's mood dipped at that. She had genuinely enjoyed talking to this man and Quill's attitude did not seem necessary.

Finnick's smile turned to a smirk "Yeah, I'll be right there-"

"That's great, We need it now so let's go." A tone of sarcasm dripping from his words. The room was feeling stuffy with the testosterone flooding it as these two grown, but childish, men continued their stare down.

Finnick chuckled as he stood. “Alright Starboy.” He looked back to Phoenix, offering her his hand and helping her to her feet.

“Oh, thank you.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

Phoenix felt her face flare, ducking her head with a small smile on her lips. Without a second look back, Finnick walked out of the room with a flourish, leaving Phoenix and Quill in the hull of the spaceship.

“What an a-hole. Am I right?” Quill scoffed and leaned against the doorframe, “He knows it's Starlord.”

“I think you should give him a chance.” Phoenix countered a bit frostily, to which Quill didn't seem to take well. His annoyance at Phoenix not taking his side was obvious.

Instead of staying and listening to the insecure man diss Finnick any longer, she made her way to the door.

“Excuse me.” she muttered as she slipped past the leather clad man and out of the room.

Running her hand along the cool metal of the hallways, her fingers bumped over countless pipelines and dents. She hummed as she bounced through the halls while following muffled voices to the cockpit.

The atmosphere was relaxed, Rocket was in the pilot chair with Nebula sitting across the aisle from him. Mantis was talking to Finnick right next to a snoring Drax while Groot and Thor were nowhere to be seen.

“Must be in their rooms.” Phoenix thought. As she softly walked through the main area.

Nebula glanced up at Phoenix as the Terran made her way to the front seats.

“Hey,” Phoenix attempted to be friendly, holding out her hand “Nebula, right?”

The cybernetic woman watched Phoenix's hand suspiciously, so the Terran pulled it back and left it awkwardly at her side. With a voice far deeper than Phoenix was expecting, she responded “Yes and you are his child thing.”

Phoenix paused, caught off guard. “Something like that. I'm Phoenix.”

“I know.”

With that Nebula stood and stiffly strutted away. Leaving Phoenix quite confused, she floundered for a few seconds before Rocket took any notice and supplied Phoenix with an explanation.

“Nah, she doesn't hate you. She's just selective with who she's nice to, like I said, a real charmer.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Phoenix deadpanned to which Rocket rolled his eyes and motioned to the now empty seat next to him.

Phoenix sat promptly and gave herself a moment to enjoy how the chair slightly bounced as she placed all of her weight on it.

“Whaddya think of pretty boy, huh?”

She was amused at the nickname but kept her voice down,

“Seems nice. Told me about how he met that guy from the bar and what they do. He's got some attitude, not as much as your friend. Quill was being quite unprofessional actually.”

Rocket guffawed “Don't worry about him, he's got issues just like the rest of the galaxy but he forgets he's not the only one, like an idiot.”

Phoenix grinned at this, Rocket's little rants of insulting people had been engraved in her memory for as long as she could remember.

“So, kiddo, what does he do then?”

Phoenix could bet Rocket was going to make fun of her answer as soon as she finished talking. “He helps people escape difficult situations, gang activity, stuff like that.”

“Eh, so he's a hero? Bleh, imagine not getting paid for doing hard work.” Rocket jeered only slightly joking.

“Hey! I used to do stuff and not get paid.” Phoenix countered, glancing behind her where Finnick was listening to Mantis talk animatedly about something intense.

“Well, youre different, kid.” he spoke softly but gruffly, before turning his attention back to flipping switches and flying the ship.

Turning to the windshield, Phoenix let her posture lax in her seat and pulled her legs up in a criss-cross. Resting her head back, the engine’s rumbles and the soft conversation behind her acting as a white noise while she rested her eyes.

……….

Phoenix was in the middle of a great dream, or at least she assumed it was, when she was awoken by a conversation to her right and promptly forgot about the subject of her dream. Her head still felt heavy and her mind felt groggy. Keeping her eyes closed Phoenix tried to catch what words were being exchanged, unfortunately her exhaustion was definitely winning the battle for consciousness.

“Dude, she's in my seat.”

“Deal with it, she's sleeping and she was here first, Quill.” Rocket snapped, “Leave her alone. Go talk to Mantis or play your music while you wait.”

There was a moment of silence before a heavy sigh and the annoyed voice spoke quite a bit louder than a whisper

“If it was Pretty boy over there you'd have no problem with her being picked up. And furthermore, it's my ship. Mine.”

Rocket chuckled dryly “Well, anyone is better than you, Quill.”

Phoenix didn't hear the rest of the conversation and nor would she remember it later when she would be shaken awake by Groot, who was talking a million miles a minute. She wouldn't remember when saying goodbye to Finnick and Cinna and wishing them good luck on their missions. She wouldn't remember when Rocket took her hand and guided her up the ramp to Mantis and Nebula's shared room 'to really get settled in.' he had explained while giving her a tour. She wouldn't remember Rocket's harsh words to the Terran man until later that evening as she was brushing her teeth.

Her hand paused mid-brush, as she looked at the mirror but not truly staring at herself.

“Anyone is better than you, Quill.”

Almost no other thoughts were going through her head, only those words and the thought of what could be if her and Quill ever happened.

Phoenix knew he was an attractive man, but that doesn't mean she had to be attracted to him. She was past that stage in her life. 'but he's confident, he's a human and has a great taste in music even if it's oldies and god he's handsome-' her mind countered unhelpfully.

A rapid knock on the door snapped her out of her thinking. Spitting the toothpaste down the sink and rinsing her mouth out she called to the door

“Just a minute-”

The knocks halted as she dried her face and hands. Quickly making her way to the door, she unlocked it and came face to face with a toned, but very shirtless, chest.

Her eyes widened and Phoenix's usual confidence was replaced by a stuttering mess. It felt like an eternity before she realized she was staring at his pecs and her gaze flitted everywhere else but still came back to the man in front of her. “Oh, sorry…”

Quill grinned and crossed his arms, he was obviously enjoying Phoenix's discomfort.

“No harm done, although, I'd have to say a picture would definitely last longer-”

Phoenix felt her ears and cheeks burn, she had been caught. “Right. Um- Good night.”

She quickly squeezed past Quill and scuffled down the hall. Mantis and Nebula were already sleeping and the room was dark so with as little noise as possible, Phoenix crawled into the cot Rocket had set up for her.

When she closed her eyes, instead of falling right into sleep, her and Quill's interaction decided to replay itself. With a groan, she flipped over to face the wall. Fortunately the hum of the engines soothed her to sleep and Phoenix was soon lightly snoring.

#peter quill #peter quill x reader #gotg #nebula #mantis #thor odinson #gotg vol2 #gotg vol3 #drax #drax the destroyer #groot #rocket racoon platonic #rocket racoon

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nix-fics · 9 months

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Rocket's Little Girl

Prison break, new faces, and being sheltered

Chapter Four

Throughout the next few days Phoenix tried to catch up with her old friends.

Groot had taken a whole afternoon to explain how they became the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' (a name, which he mentioned, only they called themselves). He told her about the dance off to save the universe and how he had saved everyone that day.

Rocket had shown Phoenix all around the ship and even offered to give up his bed if she wanted to stay with them for the time being.

"I just sayin', It's cheaper than those trashy hotel rooms ya' got" he reasoned. "No rent to waste units on here, kid."

Phoenix furrowed her brow, "I'd love to Rocket. It's just not my ship, or your ship. It's Quill's." She was very apprehensive about moving in with strangers, especially since most were men.

Rocket scoffed loudly, "Like he'll care! And besides, Groot wants ya to stay too."

Phoenix sighed, Rocket was easily crumbling her original decision like a foot would to a fallen leaf.

"Will ya' at least think about it?" He implored.

She mulled over the thought, they truly did have plenty of space, and she could travel safely without always watching her back.

“I’ll think about it,” she conceded.

Rocket seemed satisfied with her answer and started tinkering with some machinery.

"Ay, Rocket!" A voice from the cockpit rang out through the loud humming of the ship.

"We got a ringer!"

Rocket's ears perked up and he smirked wolfishly at Phoenix. She grinned as well. They were one step closer to getting off the planet.

"what's the thing?" The racoon yelled still fiddling with the object suspiously shaped like a bomb.

Quill popped his head through the doorway "I dunno, dude said he wants to meet up in person to tell us more. "

Rocket groaned and ran a paw down his face.

"We gotta talk to him? Is he a creep?"

"Doesn't seem like it, just wants us to retrieve something and then we get paid. "

Rocket seemed to be pondering the pros and cons.

" Could we die?”

Quill shrugged, "Probably."

"I'm in. Groot will come too. "

Phoenix snorted, just like Rocket, a mention of life threatening projects and he went right along with it.

Quill nodded and went back to, what Phoenix assumed was, answering the job offer.

"So," Phoenix fiddled with her fingers, " Would it be a problem if I joined you guys?"

Rocket seemed to be spaced out, not truly listening as he packed a small satchel.

“Uh, Rocket?” the young woman tried again.

Quill jumped down the stairs, "Got the date set, it's a little walk from here.” he turned to the wall rummaging through the bins stacked up. He glanced back at Rocket “and what about the chick? She could-"

Phoenix bristled at the man’s comment, "I'm right here. No need to talk about me like I'm not. "

"She goes with blondie." the raccoon retaliated with no hesitation.

“Hello? I can make my own decisions, guys.” Phoenix rolled her eyes, huffing at the childish behavior of the two adults.

Quill looked back at Rocket defensively, "What's so wrong with going with me?"

Rocket stopped his rummaging and let out a guffaw, "HA- Is that really a question, Quill?"

……

Phoenix adjusted her outfit, the crew had let her borrow an extra leather jacket and pair of pants. The pants were slightly too long but the young woman sincerely didn't care, she stuffed her feet in her boots, which gave her an inch of height.

The crew had just arrived at the designated bar; half of the guardians had decided to stay back to be less conspicuous and Phoenix was stuck at Rocket's side like glue. She absentmindedly started fiddling with the blaster holster on her thigh as they started walking off the ship.

At the thought of a new adventure, Phoenix couldn't stop a grin from spreading across her face. This was her first time, in a long time, working as a group and she couldn't be more excited.

She drifted to the front of the group next to Thor.

The group made their way through the rough roads, if they could even be called that, while Phoenix practically spun in circles, trying to take everything in at once. The smells were so strange even just in a different part of town.

Being so caught up in the scenery was a blessing and a curse it seemed, because not even a second after that she tripped over her own feet and stumbled right in to Thor.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! ” she covered her mouth and ducked her head, embarrassed at her incoordination.

Thor smiled and airily spoke, “There's no reason to be sorry, you're enjoying the adventure and, quite frankly, I'm enjoying seeing you enjoy it.” he chuckled and patted the young woman on the shoulder.

Phoenix flushed, she hadn't realized any one had noticed her excitement.

“Look, here we are! ” he announced to the group before stepping forwards to open the door.

The young adult stepped to the side to allow Quill and Rocket through first.

She studied the building as she walked through the door, it was full of people and shouts of arguments hit her as if they were a train.

The smell of this bar was not pleasant she realized as she followed right behind Rocket.

Phoenix felt all the eyes on them as they walked through the rundown bar. A shiver ran down her spine. Rocket must have noticed because right then he reached his paw out and nudged the female’s fingers.

“You need to leave?” He asked quietly whilst glaring around the pub.

Phoenix shook her head timidly.

Rocket nodded in understanding, “Just stay by Thor.”

“Of course.” She paused to allow Thor to catch up before she continued following Quill and Rocket

Rocket grumbled “Where's this idiot then?”

Quill glared down at the furry creature, “He said-”

“Ah, you must be Star-Lord, glad to see you and your crew made it.” Came a voice to the groups left.

A man with a purple collared shirt and black vest was sitting in a corner booth.

Phoenix felt oddly comfortable around the man, for being a complete stranger, he had an aura of calm about him.

Quill strutted forwards and crossed his arms, “Yeah that’s me, you called about the job?”

“Yes. Now please, sit, drinks are on me.” the stranger smiled warmly.

The group took their seats warily, “Stranger danger.” Phoenix chuckled to herself. As she waited for the others to scooch in, Thor beat her to it and gestured for the young woman to go first, before sitting down between her and Quill.

A waitress came by taking their orders, all the while making obvious googly eyes at Quill. Phoenix paid no mind to this but Rocket seemed to mind quite a bit, he coughed loudly, muttering “Idiot” and then turned to the nicely dressed man.

“Okay, let’s get on with it. What's the deal, humie?”

“Well, my name is Cinna. Now, a friend of mine was unfortunately- how do I put this, taken hostage by a very unfriendly group of individuals and I would greatly appreciate having him back.”

Rocket snorted, “Yeah, sounds realistic.” he muttered.

Quill glared warningly at the raccoon before rearranging his scowl into a smirk, and turning back to Cinna. “Sounds simple. We could pull off a rescue mission in our sleep.”

The dark haired man chuckled. “This is going to be a bit different than just a rescue mission, my friends.”

Rocket growled at this, “Listen bub, we've saved the universe twice now. Almost three times. Just tell us what we need to know so that way we can go on our happy little way and get paid.”

Phoenix could feel the irritation rolling off of her old friend but couldn't help the small grin that snuck on her face.

“I have all the information here,” Cinna pulled a folder from his bag, placing it on the table.

“If the plan is carried out correctly, there shouldn't be any issues.”

………..

Phoenix was walking with Thor and Mantis, all three donning old blankets to act as disguises and to blend in with the crowds. The people here were a lot less friendly on this side of the town, small groups huddled around the door sides of buildings, their whispering adding to the scarce chatter.

There was no sound of laughter or small children running and playing on this side of the city.

As they neared the end of an alley Thor held his hand out behind him, as to nonverbally say “stop”

Phoenix held her breath as the god stuck his head around the corner.

He nodded back to the two females and continued forwards.

When they had been at the meet point for a few minutes Phoenix was sure something had gone wrong, the crew wasn't here yet but there was nothing exploding or any alarms going off.

“Shouldn't they be out by now?”

“There is no need to be worried, it is okay.” Mantis reassured “My brother will get the person we are here for. ”

Phoenix was puzzled “Your brother? Who?”

Mantis seemed to be trying to smile “Peter. He is my half brother, we had the same father. Peter and the guardians saved me and the rest of the universe from our father.”

Phoenix smiled back comfortingly and placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder “You sound very proud of him. He seems to be a good person.”

Mantis nodded before a look crossed her face “He is. Oh-”

An explosion cut off whatever she was going to say, and Thor turned triumphantly to both ladies. “There's the signal!”

Phoenix’s ears were ringing from the bomb Rocket had most definitely put together. Shaking her head to rid her slight deafness she scurried after the two.

They ditched the blankets as they climbed through the hole in the wall and were immediately met with multiple guns and a red alarm light flashing and screaming.

“PUT YOUR HANDS UP!” One of the armored men bellowed at the group of the three.

Thor chuckled, “Hello! Sorry to barge in but it seems you have something we need very much, so if you would just step out of the way-”

A gunshot to the ceiling broke through the small speech Thor had created. The god’s face hardened and he held his hand out to the side , “Looks like we're doing this the hard way then.”

On queue Stormbreaker flew to Thor's hand. Phoenix was sure, if it had not been for the blaring alarm, she would have heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Phoenix glanced around for Mantis but the alien woman had left Phoenix's side. The amount of giddiness and excitement running through her veins was empowering. She was tempted to take out her blaster but decided against it for the time being.

“Phoenix, stay behind me.” Thor spoke calmly as he threw Stormbreaker into the small crowd of armed men. The axe’s lightning fizzled out most of the guns while Mantis seemed to be dancing around the white hall, knocking people out with nothing but her empathic abilities.

The guards were taken care of in a matter of seconds, not a single bullet hitting its target.

And they were off, Phoenix's heart was racing but this was a different type of excitement, controlled almost, she was safe. As long as Mantis and Thor were there, nothing could harm the human woman.

“That was amazing! ” she said to no one in particular, turning to the other two she continued as they speed-walked down the halls “You guys are absolutely amazing!”

Thor smiled warmly and Mantis bowed her head bashfully. Both otherworldly beings thanked the human.

Everytime the trio ran into a guard or armored being, Thor and Mantis would take turns knocking them unconscious.

Over the alarm she could hear yells and sounds of, what Phoenix assumed were, the guardians blasters getting closer and closer echoed through the halls.

The shouting was getting louder and louder as they turned the next corner

There was the part of the team they were supposed to be meeting with. Quill and Nebula along with an absolutely stunning man were running for their lives while still shooting at the oncoming guards.

“Ah! Friends!” Thor exclaimed while launching Stormbreaker into the crowd, frying what seemed to be all of the electronics “Good to see you all in one piece, is the rabbit and the rest still meeting us in the set pick up spot?”

“They better be!” Quill growled, shooting the opposing men and women down.

The group of ragtag heros’ ran to the exit of the building taking out any person standing in their way.

Phoenix's lungs and legs were burning by now, she gasped for a breath but never slowed her pace, she had to keep up. There was no way she would be the reason the team was held back or slowed down. “I can rest when this is over.” she thought silently.

Finally, running around the last corner, the exit door was in sight, “almost there” she whispered gratefully.

Thor got to the door first and ushered the rest into a musty alleyway. The door slammed behind the group leaving behind the blaring alarm and white halls and they continued to sprint to the next alley.

Alley after alley the crew snuck as far away as possible. Soon they found a more crowded part of town, Phoenix took a deep breath. Most unfortunately, the air was thick with dust and it only made her cough.

“Everyone good-?” Quill whispered in between deep breaths.

The responses he got were either “I'm fine”or “All good”

“Just give me a second” was Phoenix's only reply she could think of. “I'd really ought to start jogging or something” she scolded herself. Unfortunately while her body was screaming for a nap and a shower, her mind must've been running at a hundred miles per minute.

“Excuse me”

A voice right next to Phoenix startled her enough to jump slightly.

The man they rescued chuckled “I apologize, I wasn't trying to scare you. I don't believe we've been acquainted yet,”

The beautiful man had the same aura that Cinna had . He automatically made Phoenix comfortable in his presence.

The young woman gave a small smile.

“Phoenix, and you are?”

"Finnick. Finnick O'Dair. Nice to meet you.”

#peter quill #peter quill x reader #gotg3 #rocket gotg #guardians of the galaxy #groot #rocket raccoon #starlord #thor #mantis #drax the destroyer #guardians of the galaxy 2

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nix-fics · 9 months

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Rocket's Little Girl

I don't think there's anything to mark as a tw-

Chapter Three

When the group had made it to their ship, each being had gone to their respective rooms and After getting the woman a change of clothes, Rocket took Phoenix to the main area.

He had then explained how his group had crashed on this planet after they forgot to make a pitstop for gas, How the crew was now looking for little jobs here and there and how they were the Guardians of the Galaxy.

“I got somethin’ I need to work on in the engine room and it gets hot as heck in there so you're welcome to check out everywhere else here on the ship. ” he stated, hopping off of his chair. “ It's good to have you back, Kid. ”

A small smile spread across the woman’s face, “ It's good to be back.” she admitted.

Rocket padded out the door, but not before Phoenix caught a toothy grin spread across his furry face.

“Oh, Yeah!” he stuck his head back in the room, “There's another person here, Nebula. She's a real charmer. Don't piss her off. And stay away from Quill. And if you need anythin’ let me know.”

Phoenix chuckled quietly, the racoon was never one for being sentimental.

Being alone now, Phoenix’s eyes swept over the messy room.

There was a layer of grime on many of the pipes. It also covered the walls and she didn't even look at the floors. The smell of alcohol and engine grease were the only smells she could distinguish.

“ Makes sense, It’s mostly a bunch of guys living on one small ship. Of course it was a disaster.” she snorted to herself.

Peeking out of the room she could hear a clunking and beeping coming from far below her feet. Taking a breath she stepped into the hallway. The ship wasn't as stuffy as she expected, cold oxygen filled her lungs. But the hallways were dark and small, putting her on edge slightly.

“Yeah, I'll just stick in here.” Phoenix mumbled to herself, not wanting to have a second episode today.

Turning back to the cockpit, the woman stepped back to the windows. Unfortunately because of her unawareness she didn't see the divot on the floor until it was too late.

Her ungraceful flailing resulted in a loud crash that rang through the ship, jarring her head and making her bite the tip of her tongue.

Phoenix winced at the flaring pain in her joints and mouth.

" I hope no one heard that." She muttered tersely at her ignorant exploration. Slowly standing up and rubbing her knees and elbows trying to soothe the sting, she kicked at the divot. As if to get payback on the inanimate object.

Looking around once more, she noticed a stack of crates along the wall next to her crash landing area, a flash of orange deep within caught her eye.

Crouching down, Phoenix placed her hand on the side of the bin. The metal chilled her scarred fingers. Despite how warm it was in the room, the woman felt a shiver run down her spine.

The orange object was hidden away under quite a bit of rubble. But soon enough, after moving the countless batteries, blasters, and miscellaneous out of the way, she could safely pull out the strange contraption.

It was some sort of foam piece attached to a few wires, the wires seemed to be buried deeper beneath more junk so, Phoenix kept digging. Her interest grew with every piece of trash moved from the crate.

Reaching her treasure she pulled out a blue box with buttons.

She sounded out the word, tracing her fingers over the letters printed by the little window.

“Saw-ney?” she sounded out, silently wondering how to pronounce the strange word.

" Actually, it's Sony. But good try." A voice from the doorway made the woman jump and drop the box on her lap.

Phoenix whipped her head around to see Quill leaning against the frame staring at her, she felt as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. Until she realized he had spoken to her and was expecting a response.

" Right, thank you, Quill" She bowed her head hoping the man might go away.

Incoming footsteps shot that wish right out of the sky. Phoenix stayed completely silent as Quill sat down next to her.

" So, d'you know how to use that? "

The woman looked at the leather-clad space pirate in confusion " not really?" She said it as more of a question than an answer.

The man laughed. It wasn't a loud guffaw, it was warm and caring and Phoenix found herself becoming more and more entranced by it.

" well. if you want?" Quill was looking at her expectantly.

" Crap. What did he say" She thought wildly. She had gotten too lost in the sound of his voice to notice that he had been talking to her.

" Oh, um. I- sorry. Well, That sounds interesting… "

Quill's grin made her feel as if there were a hundred butterflies in her stomach but that wasn't the weirdest part.

The weirdest part was that she actually enjoyed them. That was, until, Quill breached into her personal space, she yanked her arm back ready to punch him while backing up in alarm.

……

Peter could tell the woman hadn't been paying full attention when he was talking, most females didn't and he was okay with that.

Unfortunately, this chick could kill at least three people in a matter of fifteen seconds and she now was very ready to make that list four, it seemed.

"WOAH, Listen!" Peter put his hands up, surrendering to not escalate the situation. " I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? I'm just showing you what these do."

He saw Phoenix's eyes flashing between him and the headphones

"Just put your hand down. I'm not in any condition to attack you sitting on the floor here anyways. Actually-" Peter put the headphones in front of Phoenix. " You can put those on yourself. "

Lowering the clenched fist, the woman glanced down at the speakers in suspicion,

" What do they do exactly?"

Peter stared at the brunette in disbelief. " They're headphones. You listen with 'em… Aren't you from Terra? "

The woman scoffed " I'm no longer from anywhere. I live where I chose, Quill. "

Peter rolls his eyes " God, are all Terran women this full of sass?" He quipped internally.

"Listen, just put the dang headphones on so I can show you the coolest thing literally ever. " He ordered, thrusting the headphones onto Phoenix's lap.

He grabbed his walkman and opened it up checking which one of his tapes were in.

Awesome Mix Vol. 2

"Perfect. She looks like she'll know these." He thought giddily.

It had been quite a bit of time since he met someone who appreciated music like he did and finally popping the tape in, he turned to Phoenix.

"You ready?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with joy.

……..

She held the headphones on her ears waiting for whatever it was Quill was going to do.

A quiet melody drifted through her ears before gaining volume and quickening its tempo.

' Listen baby, ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby-'

Phoenix's eyes widened with excitement, she knew this song. She had no idea how, but it was familiar. Every note was perfectly sung, the horns were surrounding her, the crash of the symbols gave her chills. she couldn't remember the words but the melody was embedded in her brain like concrete. The world slipped away, the smelly ship, the leather-clad man in front of her, even the sunlight through the window felt different as the song played.

Humming along quietly, the woman had forgotten that she wasn't alone and soon enough was brought back to reality. Glancing up, obviously embarrassed that she had completely spaced out

Phoenix's eyes caught Quill's and a small smile graced his face in response. She slowly removed the headphones.

"So… ?" The leather-clad man asked expectantly, as if daring her to say something against the song.

Phoenix let out a genuine chuckle "I really loved that song way back. I don't remember why exactly but thank you For sharing with me, Quill."

" Aw! Hell yeah. It's a classic. Of course I would show it to you! You're the only other human I've met for quite a long time out here-" Quill rambled on animatedly, waving his hands around for extra effects.

Phoenix couldn't help but be taken back at his openness. She was never that open with others and others were never that open with her. "It wasn't an issue, it was her lifestyle." She would repeat to herself. But then here came this music loving space man who completely turned her day upside-down.

Phoenix chewed the inside of her lip lost in thought.

A snap in front of her face bright her back to reality.

"So, spacing out seems to be a thing for you." Quill smirked at her rosy cheeks.

Phoenix fiddled with the headphones in front of her, setting them to the side she replied slowly

" Sorry… I'm honestly not used to having long conversations with anyone really. It can be a waste of time with a lot of people… " Phoenix looked down at her lap self-consciously. Playing with the hem of her shirt, her head was panicking.

"Why did I say that… I shouldn't have said that.. He probably thinks I'm talking about him.."

Quill got strangely quiet at her proclamation. He placed the walkman by his side and straightened his posture " It's not a waste of time. Everyone needs somebody." He stated firmly. Although his expression told a different story. It was almost as if he agreed with her.

Phoenix felt extremely guilty at this, she obviously brought up something he would rather not talk about and she barely knew the guy.

The atmosphere felt awkwardly quiet now. Phoenix fumbled with the headphones before setting them in front of Quill. He took them and messed with the contraption before opening his mouth.

But instead of Quill's cocky tone, a deep, sonorous voice cut off the leather-clad man.

“Oh! I do hope I'm not interrupting anything.” Thor chuckled, stepping into the room.

Phoenix breathed out a sigh of relief at the god's arrival. Hopefully she could find an excuse to get out of this embarrassing encounter.

“Nope, yeah. No. Of course not.” the woman rambled while stumbling to her feet.

Quill was still silent, as he stood he seemed to be weighed down. The change in personality was a complete difference, like day and night.

“Quail, I think the Rabbit is in need of assistance.” Thor announced while 'Quail' rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well. First off, it's Quill. And second, Did he ask for help? ” Phoenix could feel the opposite energies from the men clashing like oil and water.

“Yes, that's what I said. And of course! That's why I came to find you! ” The god's cheer-y attitude seemed to agitate Quill even more and he stormed out of the room muttering curses under his breath.

Phoenix let out the breath of air she was holding and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. The god kept walking to the windows of the cockpit and slumped down in one of the seats.

“I hope he wasn’t making you uncomfortable, ah, feel free to take a seat,” he motioned to the seat across the aisle.

“Thank you. ” She quickly sat in the squishy leather seat “ No, I think I just said the wrong thing. He was being quite nice. ”

Thor gave the woman a look of concern, before hunching forwards to rest his elbow on his knees. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Don't judge Quill too quickly, he lost a great deal and-... You do know about Thanos and the saving the world thing..? ” he questioned tentatively.

Phoenix shook her head, confused at his hesitant tone. She hasn't heard of her old planet needing saving. “what's a Thanos? When was Terra or in danger?”

Thor froze, she could see the bears turning in his head. “Maybe trying to find a way to explain?” she thought to herself.

“Where to start… ” the god mumbled under his breath. “ Well, a huge purple guy came down to earth and he had these powerful stones, super powerful, and all together he could erase half of all living things. He wanted to balance the universe and he did, he beat all of us and some lost more than others. ” he took a breath, it seemed he was trying to keep control of his emotions which made Phoenix's heart ache, this poor man had lost a lot more than what he let on. She was sure of it.

“Everyone who was dusted came back in the end though, Those who didn't come back were killed by Thanos himself. Quill lost his partner, The earth lost three of its mightiest heroes, I lost my brother, and Nebula lost her sister. ” Thor had his head ducked to hide, what Phoenix assumed were, unfallen tears. The thought of these kind people losing so much made her eyes water, she sniffled slightly which seemed to remind Thor of what he was doing and he quickly wiped his eyes and straightened up.

“So! You know, a few people are gone but we're learning to live with it. They will always be here in our hearts.” He ended with a saddened tone, a tone that betrayed the loss and grief he had dealt with.

The man was in such a vulnerable state that Phoenix couldn't help but reach out to place a hand on his shoulder. The amount of emotion swirling through Phoenix's heart was overwhelming. She hurt for this man, she barely knew him but he immediately broke down her walls and was crying with her within hours of them meeting.

She knew what it was like to be alone, to wish someone were still there. How that heavy feeling pulls oneself down till you can't even imagine what happiness feels like.

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered, pacing her hands in her lap. “I have an idea of what you're feeling and I know it's draining and hollowing but it gets better. ”

Thor looked at her, with a bittersweet smile “Thank you. I'm sure it will, I'm sorry that you've had to bear the same weight. ”

Phoenix let out a small smile, before turning to the windows in front of them “Thank you.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, staring out the windshield at the planet in front of them. The dust and faint noise of the city was still noticeable through the glass.

The peaceful silence was broken by a question that made Phoenix tense.

“Do you mind if I ask what happened to you? ”

She swallowed thickly “I'd rather not talk about it. It's something I'd rather leave behind. I've been working on starting over again and thinking about it isn't going to make any changes in my life right now."

“Of course, you shouldn't feel pressured for something like that. ” he replied consolingly while nodding his head.

Phoenix let out the breath she was holding, She felt at ease with this man. He was pleasant to talk to and was extremely welcoming.

“Please God, higher power, source energy, whatever you want to be called. Please help me make this group work. I really would love to stay… ”

#peter quill #starlord x reader #gotg #guardians of the galaxy #rocket raccoon #groot #gotg3 #gotg vol 3 #gamora #nebula #space travel #drax the destroyer

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nix-fics · 9 months

Text

Rocket's Little Girl

TW: Blood, Death, Mental Breakdown, Knives

Chapter Two

Phoenix flung her curtains open gazing out to see-

A brick wall. Yeah, her hotel room wasn't the best but it was day twenty-two on this interesting little planet and also the day that she had set as her birthday.

There were always markets going on in this area. Maybe she should go to socialize a little bit to treat herself.

"Self care is good" she thought silently

Recently the young woman had been so wrapped up in moving from place to place, she hadn't done any exploring in this little run down town.

“Well, no time like the present,” she thought to herself excited for the day.

After grabbing her key card and her translator, Phoenix left the room wiggling the earpiece on and stuffing her key into her small backpack.

Before she left the lobby she turned to the person working behind the counter,

“Excuse me, Are there any exciting places to go around here?”

The being glanced up at her, the only way to describe the look was incredulous.

“There's a couple of bars down the way. 'Herjard' and 'Drinks drink, drunk'. If you’re looking for something a bit more lively there's a market downtown. “

Phoenix grinned thankfully, “Perfect! I really appreciate it. ”

The response she got was a mere grunt.

Phoenix pushed her way through the door, into the busy street.

The hustle and bustle of the city hit Phoenix like a train.

The blunt force of the horns honking, people yelling, and strange smells made Phoenix's head spin. Taking a breath she turned left and hoped she was going the right way. There were no signs so Phoenix decided to wander until she wanted to ask for more explicit directions.

The mix of old and new architecture fascinated the young woman. She ran her hand over the uneven stones that she supposed were to resemble bricks. They were cold and rough, the next building was different. Newer. Its walls seemed to be made of a smoother material. Phoenix paused at one of the mirrored walls, fixing her outfit. It was one of her favorites and oh so comfy. "Green is a good color on me" she decided with a smile as she turned back to the sidewalk.

The breeze was stagnant and full of dust. Although Phoenix was quite sure she could smell some sort of food being cooked.

The sunlight was warm and glittered off of the large buildings, creating a soft light in certain areas. It put a hazy glow on her surroundings.

Soon enough the woman stumbled upon 'Herjard'. It was a bit run down, a couple of window shutters could definitely be replaced and the stairs could really use a touch up but Phoenix heard a lively tune from inside and followed her gut.

Pushing open the doors, Phoenix saw that the interior was no different from the exterior. A couple of walls looked too old to be standing and the ceiling seemed to be caving just slightly but no one seemed worried by any of it. Some people were sitting at the bar and some were sitting at the few tables scattered around the room, none seemed very tipsy and quite a few were on the dancefloor spinning to the music the jolly fiddler was creating.

Phoenix let out a chuckle and made her way to a less populated area of the bar.

With a small sigh the young woman settled into her booth, her seat seemed as if it had been cushy at one point and the table held carvings of initials, dents, and what seemed to be various stab marks. Phoenix ran her fingers over the wooden surface. The texture was soothing to the woman and she quietly continued her pastime, enjoying watching the spinning dancers.

" Whatch'a want, hon', " voice startled Phoenix out of her staring, " or are you jus' living vicariously? "

“Oh,’ Phoenix glanced to her menu, not really looking over her options. ‘ I think I'll just get a water. Thank you. ”

“ S’no problem, I'll be out with that in jus’ a little bit,” and with that the woman turned back to the bar and soon disappeared into the back room.

Not too long after the small exchange, the song ended and the fiddler (along with the people who were dancing) went to the bar to have a break.

The quiet murmur of voices created a white noise which put Phoenix on edge, the change was too abrupt for the woman. Too sudden. Nothing to listen to. Just her head creating its own world of what could happen. A distant shout tore Phoenix from her fantasy, she brought her guard up. Eyes flashing around the room.

Raise voices could be heard but Phoenix couldn't pinpoint from where. A slight sense of dread filled her gut as she heard a loud bang from below. People soon became a little restless around her as footsteps grew louder around her feet. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced around. ‘Maybe this is normal…?’ she thought to herself. A few individuals looked just as confused as she was. Good. or bad. A loud yell from below then alerted more people to the unknown guests. The bustling bar then began to grow just a tad quieter. Without even realizing it, she stood, her feet making a way for the door before she even blinked. Seconds after she left her seat a crash below sent the entire room into a state of frozen panic. Something in her head seemed to shift. The thought that they might be coming for her crossed her mind. Phoenix couldn’t help it, she knew it wasn’t the case… they couldn’t have found her. Rocket had helped her escape them… but Rocket was gone now.

Phoenix had to gulp and shake her head to try and focus. It’s just some random fight, just some random fight…

“Just some random fight, “ Phoenix whispered to herself. After which, she felt her lungs burn. She wasn’t breathing. Phoenix had to get out of here. Forcing a deep breath, Phoenix turned back for the door, as multiple other people began to stand from their seats. Not a moment later, the whole floor shook next, then a loud amount of crashing and shaking filled the whole room. People started yelling in the bar and scurrying out, but Phoenix just stared at the door. Her body refused to move, instead her hands instinctively went to the knife on her side. Seconds before she was aiming to leave for the door, now her body was betraying her. Keeping still means death. Keeping quiet means death.

Why wasn’t she moving?

Why was everything so distant?

Why was it so loud?

A scream cut through Phoenix’s head, and behind her the floor burst open. They were here. They found her. Tears pricked her eyes as she whirled around and launched herself at the nearest man with a weapon, letting out an ear piercing scream. it honestly might have not been her screaming, but she couldn't tell. All Phoenix knew was that she couldn't see, she couldn't breathe.

She was panicking, the walls were closing in, all she could do was blindly rip open the man in front of her with the blade she clutched like a lifeline. There were voices, the dust was thinning, Phoenix’s heart was racing, she was there again. The screams, the yells, it was all too much. Flickers of lights. Flickers of burning sun in the ceiling. Her hands felt warm and fuzzy. Warm and fuzzy.

Phoenix stared down at the bloodied body and the blood on her hands. The fuzzy feeling made her want to puke. The blood made her once again see the blood on Rocket's back. The blood from her recent stitches that would rip apart. She was ripping apart. They were going to rip her apart.

A person stumbled into the corner of her vision, and her head whipped around, launching at the person. The knife dug into the man’s shoulder as Phoenix started to lose every thought of her present state.

“I CAN’T GO BACK!!” her voice cracked, immediately making her throat burn. All she could see was dust, flickering and flashing lights, and the blood on her hands. She only could hear distant yells, and the pained foreign words of the man in front of her. All Phoenix felt was warmth, and yet she trembled like she was freezing.

A few seconds later, Phoenix stood over another limp body, her own hands shaking. At this point her vision was gone, she could just barely comprehend that blood had dripped into her eyes. With an ever so delicate shaking hand, she wiped away a stream of tears, readjusting the grip on her knife. Then she saw the form of a fuzzy figure. Something about that made her snap. Her body seemed to float, and feel weighed by a thousand planet’s gravity.

Voices drifted around her slipping in and out through her ears. Strangers' muffled tones made her stumble to look around. They were going to open her up again. They were right there. She lunged for the closest person to her, and the knife dug into the woman’s arm. A scream, a yell, and a stinging in phoenix’s cheek were the only things that truly registered. Phoenix wrestled for her own life, only for a voice to cut through the haze.

“ -it’s not one of them, kid! You are in a bad smelling bar, surrounded by worse smelling people. “ the gruff voice quickly spoke. The voice. His voice.

Phoenix dared to blink, her movements freezing, and the woman below her also began to cease. “ That’s it, kid. “ said the voice in breathless relief.

“ We aren't there, we got out. You're on this weird happy planet. You're safe.” he continued, Phoenix felt the air become stuffy and smell like alcohol and iron. A huff was heard but phoenix could barely comprehend who it came from, she didn’t dare look anywhere but the knife in her hand.

“I am Groot.”

“Yeah I know what I'm doing ya idiot.”

Phoenix’s heart slowed. With a hard blink, she sat back, the woman below her getting up.

“ I- I'm so sorry.. ” Phoenix gasped. " I swear- I- oh my gosh.. "

People huddled away from the young woman in fear. None of them would make eye contact, scared that if they did she would go feral again.

" You didn't mean to. It was an accidental kinda thing. "

He spoke again, taking the attention off of the other beings, who were quickly making their way out of the bar.

Phoenix looked at the owner of the voice, it had been so long…

" There was no way.. " part of her said " but it is him." Her other side assured.

Only one being that she remembered ever talked to her that way.

" Rocket? "

The furry being took a slow step forwards, so as to not frighten her again.

" Yea, it's me, kid. " He breathed out.

Phoenix felt her eyes tearing up, a waterfall of emotion cascading out as if a mental dam had been broken. She reached out in an unspoken question and she grabbed the creature in front of her in a rib crushing embrace.

Phoenix could feel the texture of his fur mixed with the metal embedded in his skeletal system. The smell of grease and dirt mixed in a soothing manner. The way he tensed but melted into the hug as if he fell asleep. Everything was once again right in the world. It was like everything she feared melted away the second she felt little furry claws hold onto her.

" I missed you." She whispered, almost worried that if she talked any louder, he would disappear.

" I missed you too, kid." He whispered back, echoing her own tone.

Phoenix could stay like this for eternity, never letting go again. All too soon a cough came from behind Rocket, that broke the two apart.

" Kay, Rocket. Dude. This seems important and I feel very uncomfortable right now. "

Phoenix's head shot up as she let go of her old friend, she hadn't noticed Rocket's companions.

"Oh my god, Quill. Shut up." Rocket snapped at the tall man.

Phoenix tuned-out the bickering and glanced down to her hands. The knife still rested on the floor beside her. Blood and dirt covered her forearms, hands and even her torso.

It was a disturbing image that made her stomach churn. She had ruined her attempt at a normal day and injured multiple beings.

" Oh my gosh I attacked someone-" she rubbed her hands on the floor aggressively to get rid of the blood but her panicking was cut short when she heard her name being called.

" Kid, stop that. Kay? We'll get ya some other clothes as soon as possible. I feel like I'm forgetting somethin' " he turned to Groot, one of his ears was twitching with annoyance.

" I am Groot. "

"Oh! Yeah. Introducing the idiots. Blondie is Thor, " Rocket nodded at the woman's confused expression "Yea, he's the actual god of Lightnin' or something like that. Now, That jacka-"

A scoff cut off the raccoon. Phoenix looked to the man who Rocket had gestured to.

"The name is Peter Quill, princess. But you can call me Star-lord. And what's your name?"

Quill stepped forwards and offered her his hand. Phoenix drew back at his outgoing attitude "Didn't he just watch me kill three people…?" She asked herself, confused as to why this man would want to know her. He was very nice on the eyes, of course he wasn't the god of lighting but his smile held a boy-ish element that drew her in.

By the time all this had gone through her head, she realized an awkward amount of time had passed since his question.

"Uhm, I'm Phoenix.." she stuttered out. She hoped that she wasn't as red as she felt. Thankfully Rocket saw her struggling with the interaction and quickly stepped in between the two.

" Muscle guy. Drax. Metaphors are gonna go right over his head. Completely literal."

Phoenix nodded to the last male being as Rocket introduced him.

"There's Mantis and she's got some kinda mindreader thing but with feelings I guess. "

Phoenix gave a little wave to the other woman and thankfully the empath, who didn't seem overly worried about Phoenix, waved back.

"I am Groot!"

The woman smiled at the Flora Colossus. He was smaller than when she last saw him but it was the same Groot she used to know.

" I missed you too, Groot. You've gotten… younger..? " Phoenix questioned, unsure how such a thing could happen.

"I am Groot, I am groot. I am Groot." Groot explained excitedly.

A small giggle escaped the woman. "So you're the reason the galaxy is safe right now? "

The small tree nodded, his chest puffed up.

" Well I believe it, Rocket always got into big problems with ease. And it looks like you've picked up quite the circus."

Rocket rolled his eyes " whatever kid, you're just as much trouble. D'you remember planet 429? " He grinned wolfishly at the woman's horrified expression.

Phoenix stood up at this comment and pointed an accusing finger at her furry friend.

" Listen up fuzzy, we agreed to never speak of that. Ever."

" I am groot! "

Rocket cackled while the woman glared at Groot "See? Even Groot agrees."

Phoenix rolled her eyes with a grin on her face. She missed this banter. " Whatever."

"I am done with this. Why are we still here?" Drax grumbled loudly. " I am all out of chips. Mantis ate them all. "

Mantis looked at Drax indignantly, "I did not! It was pEteR! I don't even like the type of things those are!"

Rocket sighed at the group.

Drax glared over at the leather-wearing man.

"What?" Peter whined "I was hungry dude!"

Phoenix subtly smiled at this. She didn't fully trust the group but they were with Rocket and Groot, and quite hilarious

She was startled by a hand on her shoulder. It was Groot again.

" I am Groot."

Phoenix paused. It wasn't a difficult choice, she would love to go to their ship but would they want her?

" Yeah, um. If that's okay, Groot."

Rocket let out a noise in-between a grunt and a scoff.

"Of course it's good. I thought we already established that you were gonna spend the day with us."

Phoenix grinned at the raccoon as Groot led her out of the bar.

" I sure hope this works out.."

#peter quill #peter quill x reader #rockets little girl #rocket racoon #starlord #groot #drax the destroyer #gamora #starlord x reader

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nix-fics · 9 months

Text

Rocket's Little Girl

When a small Terran child is abducted and experimented on for months, she makes a friend. Little did she know, that she would help him as much as he helped her. "You know, your fur is really pretty," she said louder, determined to keep his attention. Subject 89P13’s fur bristled instantly; his head snapped to look at her with the most shocked face Phoenix had ever seen. "What!?" he croaked out. Phoenix could not help but giggle at this, "Your fur! It looks soft! The color is also the opposite of the walls. " A matter-of-fact tone laced her words as she perked up. Subject 89P13 genuinely was bewildered. "The walls?" he echoed. All he got was a curt nod from the little girl.

TW: Blood, Child experimentation, kidnapping, needles, depressing themes.

Chapter One

White rooms.

That's what laboratories are always portrayed with.

The sterile halls, the fluorescent lights, hushed experiments gone wrong.

It sounds like a horrible place on paper, but living through it is another whole monstrosity. Not a single depiction has described how loud it always feels. The hallways tower above you like mountains, the ceiling an unreachable and manufactured sky. Every small noise from a pin dropping to a featherlight footstep was made into a loud roar. It echoed and echoed until your skull started to rattle, and it never faded, because your own breathing would become warped and echo back to you in a garbled voice. Your own body soon became your enemy, as it betrayed you day in and day out.

Nothing felt private. Nothing felt sacred. Nothing was your own. Even if you spent a lifetime in this sterile prison, you would never feel comfortable. You’d never feel warm or at peace. The floors would always remain cold and sticky to your bare feet, which would always make your feet sore when you finally sat back down. Instead of your clothing becoming comfortable and molding to your body over time, the fabric would always feel coarse. Sometimes, after you woke up, you would have a rash from where the fabric was pressed on too tightly. Breathing even felt like an action that wasn’t even your own. The air tasted stale and recycled, after a few days indoors you forget what a breeze felt like. It was all so sickening bright, so sickeningly clean, and so sickeningly loud. The fluorescent lights would always taunt you and remind you of a sun, but lack the warmth, and always let out a loud droning hum. It was always too bright.

"Too bright… " Phoenix thought.

She tried to blink in an attempt to get used to the light burning into her eyes. Her efforts were in vain, and all she got in return was dry eyes. The sleep in her eyes only added to her discomfort. With a whine, the little girl attempted to rub her eyes, nothing happened, so she tried it again. As her consciousness was slowly being regained, she could feel the pressure of some metallic edges digging into her wrists.

Phoenix then turned her head to the side, trying to get some respite from the bright lights, only to be met with the torsos of strangers in green. The clothes they wore were familiar but completely void of wear and tare. A wave of realization washed over the 9 year old. She remembered this place. This was the place they would take her and-

A sense of dread filled her gut, making her throat dry up. She started to tug on her restraints, ignoring the pain against her bone.

"No-no… I don't want… here." She muttered out, her voice shaking. She was still being affected by whatever they were pumping into her, so she could hardly make a coherent sentence. A sense of helplessness caused her to try to suck up as much air as she could, only to just let it all out at once, and soon this process began to repeat.

The people in white walked around her, taking notes and checking the distant screens. If Phoenix's eyes weren't being clouded with tears she would have probably been able to read them. She started to shake her head in an attempt to distract herself, to get away, or something similar.

Her small voice choked out “i wa-nt to go hom-me."

A faint sense of accomplishment flooded her mind when her weak struggling got some attention. She let out a small wail when the pain in her wrists became too much to handle. With a frustrated groan, she eased up on struggling, soon resorting to speaking since she had their attention. A larger person in green scurried over and quickly inspected her.

"The chemicals wore off, subject is conscious"

"Put it under again."

Phoenix didn't like the way these people talked about her. It made her feel small, well, smaller. She felt the tears begin to run down her cheeks. She hated feeling as if she were an animal unworthy of interaction or consideration. She voiced this with the most strength she could muster in her current state.

"nO- I D-DON'T LIKE THIS-"

Her moment of strength seemed to only make it worse, because she then caught a glimpse of a needle nearing her. Her mind was soon clear of any Haze, and she became aware of the fact she couldn't feel her legs. She couldn't stop herself from beginning to tremble and shake, afraid to even glance down.

" Yes ma'am. " The bigger person in white responded.

The person came near and grabbed her left forearm holding it still, their grip too tight, and the gloves irritating her skin even more.

Phoenix attempted to thrash, but felt like her limbs weighed a hundred pounds. She couldn't handle another needle or injection. She couldn't handle falling asleep again. To aid her objection she let out a broken scream, which began to sting her throat. But it didn't matter how much thrashing or yelling she did because in the end, she was still a prisoner. She still wasn't her own. She was their object. She didn't have a single choice in her life that wasn't made by someone else and in moments like these, that reality made itself incredibly clear.

The ice cold needle slid into her arm and the doctor pushed the sedative into her frail body.

A final desperate scream tore through before the girl's eyes shut, her world going dark and her body going numb.

……

She missed her family more than anything. Her daddy would know what to do. Her mommy would find her. They loved her, they told her so every day. They would find her. She was certain of it. She had to be.

And so, every day she would wait. Eyes glued to the door, waiting for her parents. Always waiting only to always be heartbroken and devastated when she was met with a man in strange armor placing a tray of food. In moments like those she was reminded that she, in fact, was very hungry. So she would eat, fall asleep, then wake up with a new bandage or a new ache in her body. It was maddening, and months of this passed by with her still hoping, longing, and believing that her parents would come for her.

She would always begin to remember the time she spent when she would play with her family. She would try to remember what her mom and dad would sound like when they laughed, but as time passed, doing that made her feel worse. She would never admit it, but she had forgotten what they sounded like, and soon couldn't remember the details of their faces. all good things must come to an end so they say.

Phoenix didn't even know when she broke, but she knew it happened. She was forced to realize her family wasn't coming back. She realized she didn't even know how long she had been left there. She didn't even know if her birthday had passed… She was alone. Alone… Alone… Alone…

Sitting and waiting was quickly replaced with screaming, crying, and hitting the walls. Day after day, Phoenix would scream and yell but no change ever came. She even tried to attack the man who gave her food, which resulted in a nasty bruise on her eye that swelled. She learned very quickly that it was more trouble than it was worth to throw tantrums. Soon she became tired of crying, she became tired of tantrums, and so she began to become hopelessly docile. The silence was deafening, but the echo if she did speak was painful. The noise of her own voice was sickening to her now.

She soon began to try to get used to her schedule. She would sit and sit, alone and unbearingly uncomfortable, they would feed her mush, she would fall asleep, and when they were done with whatever they did, back into her room Phoenix would go. Never a toy or something like it to keep her company. Not a single thing to distract herself from the place she remained. The walls were far too empty and clean to even make shapes out. The only company was the all too bright lights above her. Always on, always looming, always cold.

……

At this point Phoenix lost count how many days, weeks, or months passed. It could've been years for all she knew, but she hadn't really grown much, so she doubts it. Today was just like any other day, the same silence and drone of the lights above, she stared at her legs, tracing over the scars on them, not really noticing that her skin didn't feel her own fingers on some particular spots. She flexed her toes and began to try to move one at a time. A dull sense of pride caused the slightest of smiles to grace her features because she realized she has improved her control over her toes.

She heard footsteps approaching her room. She let her hands drop to her sides and she stared at the door expectantly, her smile dissipating. Another meal, she curiously wondered where her new scar would be. Instead of her usual meal of mush that greeted her, she instead saw the man in the armor holding nothing but his weapon. A newfound terror found its way into Phoenix's gut as she scrambled into the corner.

"Wh-what did I do??!!" She yelled at the man. Her body began to tremble and shake without her being able to control it.

In response the guard began to walk over to her, causing Phoenix to cover her face with her hands, curling up. Instead of a hit of pain, she felt the person's hand grab her upper arm and practically rip it out of its socket. She let out an involuntary wail of terror as she was yanked to her feet. Before she could comprehend what was happening the person began to drag her out of the room at a faster pace than Phoenix had walked in who knows how long.

Phoenix could barely stand let alone walk, so she was constantly stumbling over her own feet. She could honestly admit she was too scared to see where she was being dragged. All that she could comprehend is that she was being taken to some horrific place and that she would be awake during one of the experiments, or worse, she could've lost her use. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks and all she could do was bury her face into her free hand, blindly being dragged through the halls.

The noise was too loud, her feet painfully dragged on the ground as it clung to her flesh. The noise leaving a squeaking echo, making her want to puke. The distant wails and screams made louder the farther she was dragged. Her hands soon went from her eyes to her ear, trying to block them out. She hadn't even noticed the fact she had started to hyperventilate.

Then, all at once, she was tossed onto some metal floor haphazardly. She hit the ground with a loud thud, it was all she could do to not open her eyes. Instead, she just curled up as she heard the sound of a latch closing. The ache on her skin where she was dragged was already beginning to bruise. She didn't want to open her eyes. She just wanted to get out of this place. She didn’t even remember where she wanted to go, just someplace not sterile. All she could continue to do was cry. So she remained curled up, hoping to just fall asleep.

“Some of us are trying to sleep in here!” a raspy voice called out.

Phoenix instinctively flinched at the sudden voice. Another voice? Not just a voice, this one was different from the usual monotone voices that plagued her thoughts. Not even similar to the voices that would drone on and on behind closed doors, or when a sedative would wear off.

"Oh my god, there's a kid now." another voice mumbled, seemingly to themself.

“People?” Phoenix thought. In a moment of hesitant hope, she took a chance to glance up, not sure what she was expecting to see. What greeted her were mats on the floor that lined each unbearingly white wall. Each held Animals, Creatures, and a few humans, none seemed to be her age, making Phoenix feel embarrassed that she had been on the floor crying seconds earlier.

She glanced around the room, trying to gather more of her barings. Not many stared at the small girl for long, seeming to not want to accept her presence. Some of the ones that would meet her gaze soon turned away in what seemed like disgust or irritation. Phoenix wiped a tear track from her face, trying to calm her beating heart. She hadn’t realized she was still crying. With a resounding sniff, she sat on her knees.

Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as her old room. At least she isn’t alone anymore. Phoenix attempted to ignore the gnawing in the back of her mind that it was going to get much worse, somehow. After spotting an open mat in the farest corner of the room, Phoenix shakily stood up, making her way to the unoccupied space. While she attempted to stumble to the back of the room, growls and snarls would greet her if she tripped too close to an individual.

Their eyes followed her every move. Phoenix felt exposed, the hair on the back of her neck standing, she felt as if one wrong move would have her killed. Not that she hadn't before but now, with all these creatures looking at her like prey, it made her heart race. As she neared the back of the room the girl stumbled to the mat in the corner. As far away as possible from the beings. The mat was just as stiff as the one in her old room. The pillow case was quite literally a burlap sack and the blanket was no more than a thin sheet.

“At least I have a blanket.” she optimistically thought. The second her knees touched the cushion she heard the sound of a strong electricity surge around her, causing her to involuntarily yelp. She frantically glanced around the room, no one seemed phased. She did manage to pick up on the slight discoloration of the white around her. Curiosity that she had forgotten she still had immediately gave her a wide eyed expression. She scooched close to the edge of the discoloration and stared at it. She blew on it and felt her own breath blow back. A smile graced her feature as she went to poke it. Her joy only increased, her hand felt fuzzy when she touched it. A part of hew realized she now had a smaller space to exist, but now she had a tingly wall, which was a decent trade off. She soon let her hand sprawl out over the barrier, seeing it grow slightly glitchy, but she enjoyed the tickling on her hand. Most of the other experiments had gone back to ignoring her at this point, but a few glares had returned because she was becoming an irritant.

Noticing the tension in the air, her smile immediately retreated as she looked down at her lap. Phoenix turned away hoping they would go back to trying to sleep. She decided today she wouldn’t focus on the barrier, instead she would cover herself with a sheet she never had before. After scampering on top of the mat, Phoenix took a glance around the room. As long as she stayed quiet and out of the way, no one would bother her. With a delicate maneuver, she snuggled herself under the sheet. Somehow, in the large, cold, and echoing room, Phoenix found herself just relieved she is no longer alone. Even if the people around her weren’t kind, they were like her.

……

Phoenix never wanted the silence ever again. She never wanted to go back to being alone ever again, but in moments like these she second guessed herself. The hallways outside of the doors echoed loud enough into the room where she was curled up. A scream far too violent to result in anything good. It was all the little girl could do to hide herself under the sheet and cover her ears as tightly as she could, but it could never block it out. “ kid.” She fainty heard a familiar voice call, but she didn’t make a move. The screaming continued to fill the room, it made her want to throw up. Her stomach churned as she heard a loud crash. Phoenix began to shake her head violently, then began to hit her head, trying to distract herself. “Kid!” the voice repeated, louder and angrier than before. It apparently was enough because it caused phoenix to peek out from under the thin sheet at the creature across from her. “I was worried you knocked yourself out or somethin'.” Phoenix didn’t smile at this, she instead flinched at the yells from the guards. Nothing the creature had said to her in the past ever seemed to help her. He snapped at her when she asked about the strange men, telling her that they were actually called the security. He always seemed to be angry with her, the more and more people disappeared the more frightened she would feel, and the meaner he would get.

She faintly heard a tired sigh from the creature. “You got a name?” he sounded like he was straining to remove the growl from his voice. Phoenix looked at the creature and took a slow breath “...Phoenix?” “gee kid do you not even know your own-” just as he began, he stopped, took a deep breath, then started over “That’s a nice name… “

"Thank you…What's- what's your name?"

Phoenix spoke hesitantly to not anger him again, she wasn’t sure how this snappy creature would react to her in general. The creature looked at Phoenix with an expression akin to bewilderment or frustration. After a few seconds of him gauging her expression his mouth twitched as he looked at the wall to his side, crossing his arms casually

" 89P13."

Phoenix scrunched her nose at this. "That's not a name.. that's just a lot of numbers."

The small creature took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. His ear twitched before opening his mouth to explain.

"Well-"

"What's something you like?"

Subject 89P13 didn't know how to respond to this small child. She was genuinely curious, he could see it but he knew he couldn't play into her little game. Getting to know people didn't help anyone here. He honestly had no idea why he even tried to spark up a conversation anyway.

"Doesn't matter. " He ended the conversation as quickly as it had started. Padding back to his mat, he sat down, back facing the small girl. It wouldn't help to talk to her.

Phoenix stared at the angry little creature's back. That was her first conversation that had lasted over a minute. A newfound determination and desperation to not let it end filled her chest, her fingers twitched with eagerness, because this was also the first time 89P13 hadn't completely snapped at her.

“You know your fur is really pretty” she spoke louder than before, determined to keep his attention.

Subject 89P13’s fur bristled instantly, his head snapped to look at her with the most shocked face phoenix had ever seen. “What!?” he croaked out.

Phoenix couldn't help but giggle at this, “your fur! It looks soft! The color is also the opposite of the walls.” A matter of fact tone laced her words as she perked up.

Subject 89P13 genuinely was bewildered. “The walls?” he echoed. All he got was a curt nod from the little girl.

"They sometimes hurt my eyes. They get too bright. The lights hurt sometimes too. But they tell me to not talk about it. They used to say I talk too much. I learned that they won't hurt me as much if I stay quiet " Phoenix took a moment to actually breathe.

Subject 89P13 stared dumbfounded at the little girl. He honestly felt like he just opened a can of worms he wouldn’t be able to close again.

"That's why I said your fur is pretty. It's nice to look at and doesn't hurt my eyes. And it looks warm. Are you always warm? Or do you get cold? "

The small creature had no idea how to respond to this. The fact that someone, this tiny girl nonetheless, was trying to continue a conversation. She was clueless, she had to be. Phoenix was staring at him with a hopeful expression on her face. A part of him couldn’t actually conjure the energy to snap at her, so with a resounding huff, he responded.

"Uh- I don't get cold. "

Phoenix grinned at his answer and tried again at her first question " What do you like? "

Subject 89P13 found himself answering even though he'd have a better time not even acknowledging the runt.

"I like sleeping." he answered shortly, only to catch the girl’s excitement dull. He growled to himself before giving a better answer. “ I like making things. “

He felt his stomach churn as he heard an excited gasp, he had to close his eyes to try and hide his grimace. A soft pitter-patter of Phoenix's feet echoed throughout the room as she got close to the barrier.

" What kind of things? " She asked in wonder.

“Great,” Subject 89P13 groaned to himself.

“ I build things like… “ Subject 89P13 looked for the simplest of words to describe his ‘hobby’ “remotes..?”

“ remotes? “ Phoenix scrunched her nose. "That doesn't sound exciting" she thought. "For what?"

" For- things. "

"What kind of things?"

Subject 89P13 was growing annoyed with her never ending curiosity. " Bomb things. Now stop asking questions."

Phoenix tried to stay quiet, she really did but she just needed to ask one more little question.

"What do you need bombs for? Are you a spy-"

" Just Shut UP! " he barked at Phoenix.

The young girl flinched at his raised tone, her expression immediately falling. She looked away and shuffled back to her mat. She ducked under her sheet and turned to the wall, she would’ve apologized but decided being quiet was better. She attempted to not let it get to her, but of course, her shaky breathing echoed through the room. After a little bit she quieted down, her eyelids growing heavy. She welcomed sleep the second it came.

……

At some point, Phoenix had become old enough to be awake during the testing. She didn't know what marked her ready for that, but over the last 15 times, Phoenix had been poked, prodded, and injected with a wide arrangement of needles and liquids. On some special days she would be knocked unconscious, then wake up with a large bandage somewhere with stitched. Today was one of those days.

She was now laying on her bed already tracing the bruises forming across her body. The damage most definitely internal this time. There was a new pain behind her eyes, almost that akin to a migraine. The more she thought about it the worse it got, so she tried to turn her attention to other things.

People began to disappear a short while after she arrived. She didn't really understand where they were taken, subject 89P13 never seemed to tell her, so she decided not to pry. As of now, the room she once felt threatened in was now becoming an empty cage like the one she was trapped in for as long as she could remember. Subject 89P13 was still around and every once in a while they would have a small conversation, his patience for her seeming to improve the older she got. There seemed to be a moment that neither one was going anywhere, and neither one wanted to.

Today seemed to be one of subject 89P13's test days, due to his absence. So it was silent, the stuffy and loud silence she had grown to despise. The one that haunted her every waking moment. She hated it more than she could comprehend. Phoenix huffed and diverted her attention to a way to keep the silence to a minimum. Humming to herself she discovered seemed to work. For better or for worse, there wasn't anyone in here to be bothered by it anyway…

So little Phoenix sat there humming out different tunes, building upon her previous works. In the end she started coming up with lyrics too, none of which made much sense but that wasn't the point. It was a shred of happiness and she grasped on to it. One of the few things she truly believes is her own. One of the only things that they don't own.

A loud screech of the door interrupted her song, making Phoenix jump. On instinct she scooted herself onto her mat and pulled her pillow close, keeping her gaze on the ground.

The loud footsteps of the guards were a silent promise of her companion returning, so despite her fear of them, their presence was welcome.

There was a pained grunt and a loud thud coming from across the room, then the all familiar whir of electricity. Then the footsteps faded, and their presence was gone with a resounded slam of the door.

The sound still echoing a few seconds after they disappeared. Once it was silent, Phoenix could just about make out and strained breathing from across the room.

Slowly, Phoenix looked up from the ground and was greeted with the all familiar brown creature in a fetal position. Her gut seemed to weigh thousands of pounds at the sight of new electrical attachments littering his back; the fur was freshly shaved and the skin was grotesquely raw. She set her pillow to the side as delicately as possible and crawled to the edge of her barrier. All she could do for a while was stare in horror, her eyes watering.

"Are you ok?" She barely whispered out.

The room took her voice and easily carried it to the creature despite her initial volume. In return, he growled out something Incoherent, his back still to her. The strain in his voice was palpable, and seemed to end with a stunted wail in pain. He clearly wasn't able to speak even if he wanted to.

Phoenix shut her mouth and felt helpless. This was worse than she had ever even imagined. Her own aches seemed to disappear and were replaced with dread. Or was it anger?

Silence filled the air, consistently being broken with a strained groan from 89P13. It was all she could do to try to look for something to help him. All she could do was draw a blank. And so she remained sitting at the edge of her barrier, feeling small, well, smaller.

…

" a…at least your fur is still pretty…?"

A bark of a laugh that sounded more like a gasp of pain was the response she got. " you.. and your thing with fur- Gah- !"

89P13 could hardly speak without it feeling like his insides were being ripped apart. Yet somehow he managed to laugh. His grimace was practically a sneer, but the corners of it turned up. "This kid" he silently laughed to himself.

Phoenix's frown turned into a look of horror as she saw the small creature force himself to roll over. She got the smaller glimpse of parts of his skin breaking and red peaking out. Then she met his eyes. " your… your back was red " she spoke as softly as she could.

89P13 couldn't help but slightly grin at this. " what's n-new… " he strained through clenched teeth.

Phoenix scowled at the creature, which honestly amused him. "Are you going to lecture me-?" He quirked a brow, as his body started to sweat.

"Please, don't disappear." She spoke just as softly as she usually did.

And there it was. The thing 89P13 wanted to avoid, attachment. Be it the strain it was to speak, or the sudden shock, he honestly couldn't tell, but he just stared.

"I don't want to be alone again." Phoenix was unashamed to admit it. It was more selfish than she wanted to acknowledge, but it was true. Right now, she didn't know what else she wanted to say anyway.

On 89P13's side, he was practically a statue. He swallowed dryly and soon winced in pain.

Taking a shaky breath, " me neither, kid " he barely muttered out.

They met each other's gaze, in a silent promise. Phoenix wanted to say much more, but she knew nothing would've really mattered. 89P13's gaze softened and after a few seconds, he blinked slowly before rolling onto his stomach, shutting his eyes fully. The blood now clearly staining the edges of his fur.

With that she turned back to her wall and layed down. Her aches weren’t gone but thinking about his injuries made Phoenix feel oddly numb to her own ailments. She didn't have metal in her body, well there was none that she knew of, and here she was being sad about it when he was in a lot more pain then her.

As she snuggled onto her mat she thought of all the ways to make him feel better. Maybe she could make a remote. He liked remotes.

Phoenix decided that someday, she would make a remote for 89P13.

#gotg #gotg v3 #peter quill x reader #rocket racoon #drax the destroyer #groot #guardians of the galaxy vol 2 #starlord #gamora #rocket racoon platonic

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