The night was slightly cold, a soft breeze wrapping us up as we hung out by the campfire. A small radio played my 80s playlist, one of my favorite songs blasting through the speakers. I involuntarily smiled and looked up at the sky, getting lost in the breathtaking view.
"This one's pretty cool" Quill's voice perfectly fit the moment.
"It's her favorite so far" Mantis unnecessarily informed, again.
I flickered my gaze from the stars to Rocket, whose sight was already stuck on me. I involuntary bit my lip and let out a soft sigh. I eyed Peter for a brief second and took in his appearance, he was lost in the sound, a small smile plastered on his face. Screwed, that's what I was.
Rocket cleared his throat, causing my gaze to abruptly drop. — "Time to get some drinks, pals"
"Oh, no, not for me" Mantis shyly informed.
"It's okay, you can stay back with us" I reassured her as Groot nodded his head.
Quill quirked an eyebrow. — "You're not coming?"
Groot spoke up before I could. — "I am Groot"
"Oh, c'mon, just a few drinks" Peter insisted.
I gaped my mouth open as to say something but no sound came out. I didn't want to leave the ship, neither did Mantis and Groot. Why did he have to make it hard? Rocket rolled his eyes dramatically before speaking.
"If they don't want to, they don't want to. Get a life, Quill" he shrugged.
"What about one drink?" Peter continued.
My hairy friend eyed me with a frown, and so did Groot. But it was Drax speaking next. — "Leave them, let's go get poisoned!"
"You mean drunk" Rocket rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Yes. That's what I said" Drax remarked.
"It's not..?" Peter raised his eyebrow in a very cute way. — "If you change your mind you know where to find us, yeah?"
.
I nervously checked the time every five minutes for some reason. It was now two in the morning. Groot was asleep on his bed, Mantis lying next to him, her eyes closed as well. I wished I could sleep too in a moment like that. What was even wrong with me?
Two thirty. I sat upright and pressed both my hands on my face. Did I have to eventually reach them? No. The interior conflict was way too loud at that point. Go? Don't go? But, again, what for? Seeing Quill flirting with some random girl? Definitely not. My mind spoke loud, but my feet were already dragging me to the bar. As expected, when I stepped in, Peter was all over some chick. I fought hard to look away and headed over the counter.
"Why're you here?" a familiar voice asked.
"Couldn't sleep" I tried to act cool, but I knew Rocket could read me like a book.
"Right. Better now?" he showed me a resting sassy face. Little shit. — "Go back, shit-head"
"Yeah, I'll just have a drink and head back to the ship right after" I quietly answered.
Rocket studied me for a minute. — "All right, just one drink"
Before I could even place my order, my eyes wandered back on Peter. His hands were all over some pink girl as he was being his charming self and playfully flirting with her. I immediately felt something in my stomach, something I couldn't quite get.
"How did ya know about us? Earth knows the Guardians?" Rocket asked.
I glanced over at him and sighed, decided to loosen up. — "I want to be honest with you. I'm not sure what's going on"
Rocket moved his full attention to me and eyed me carefully. — "What do ya mean?"
"I woke up at Tony's tower with no memory whatsoever. Everything just looks so unrealistic. Where I come from you guys are - how do I say this - characters"
Rocket's mouth gaped open in both concern and confusion, his eyebrows knitted together. — "Let me get this straight. You're not from this universe?"
"I don't know anymore. Everything feels so real. Maybe I just had memory damage or something"
"I mean, I can try to fix ya" the raccoon deadass informed. — "You should seriously go sleep now, we'll be back on it tomorrow, yeah?"
I took a quick breath and nodded. I did need some rest, the stress of seeing Peter like that wasn't helping at all. No shit. I greeted Rocket and eventually walked back to the ship. Fortunately, the bar wasn't too far away from the woods where we hid our vehicle. When I reached our campfire spot, a few minutes later, I hung out by the dying fire a little bit. Brainstorming was the only option.
.
"Mae" a soft voice called out. I lazily opened my eyes without moving. — "C'mon, let's get you to bed"
"Mh" I sleepily whined, frantically moving my arm around.
When I heard a faint laugh, I regained most of my self-control. My gaze soon met Peter's green eyes. He looked amused for some reason, and unbelievably sober. I took the chance to just look at him, which he didn't seem to mind.
"We should really get going, sleepy-head" Quill quietly snorted. — "C'mon, hold on to me"
"Mh, I'm fine" I clumsily tried to stand on my own and almost tripped on my feet. Peter's grip hooked me right away, saving me from the impact with the ground.
I could hear him quietly talk to me. — "How are you so clumsy?"
"Takes practice" I blurted out, sleep deprivation getting the best of me.
"I see that" Peter mocked me with an almost unnoticeable smile. — "The dedication though, impressive"
I stumbled back on my feet and rolled my eyes. — "Shut up, Quill"
Next thing I remembered, I was in Starlord's bedroom. I couldn't recall how I got into his bed, but he wasn't there. Or so I thought. At the sight of Peter walking in the room with just a pair of yoga pants on, I abruptly sobered up. My cheeks flustered red as I couldn't stop staring. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed, so I pretended to still be asleep.
"You're awake?" Quill softly whispered as I felt him climb on the bed.
"Mh-mh" I distractedly hummed. I couldn't stop hyperventilating, Drax's words echoing in my head in loop: Ha! You're thinking about naked Quill! — Oh, crap.