C E L E S T I A L

            “ who’s this ‘ WE ’ ? mantis, blink twice if you’ve been forced to do this against your will. ”

          “    Gamora ! We are going to have a dance battle ! Come, this one will teach you how to moon walk.    ”

// @starmadonna 

A TILT OF  his head  accompanied by an ephemeral raise of an eyebrow,  the half human agrees to her statement without uttering any words.  he almost hates it,  how see through he can be around the woman.  

there were times that helped them out,  times in which she influenced others so his flaws as a leader were invisible.  it’s strange how all of that become distant memories as time passes,  despite the  PAIN  of losing friends along the way insist on sticking to him like Rocket’s duct tape.  ❛  oh come on,  do you think i’m that selfish after all  ?  ❜  Peter grins behind his mug,  grin poorly masking the thoughts  &  memories breaking lose behind those eyes that had seen so much terror.  

❛  look,  y’want the truth you’ll get it.  i need a pretty lady like yourself to help me with an in ‘n out mission  ‘cause  i need some  info.  ❜  he says,  recalling their time together during the  phalanx invasion.  he’s never taken her as someone to be  UNDERESTIMATED.  if there’s someone who can get it done,  it’s her.  ❛  now you’ll ask why i didn’t ask Gammy.  THAT  is ‘cause this is about…  Rider.  given their history i thought it’d be better to ask a different pretty green lady to charm some idiots,  you know  ?  ❜  a sip from his coffee is taken so he can pause  &  give her time to consider what he said.  ❛  i have intel that he might be back in our verse.  ❜

          “    This one cannot imagine Gamora ever responding positively to that charming nick name.    ”

          SHE CANNOT HELP BUT CHUCKLE, HIDING her lips behind her mug before taking a sip or two. Gamora was not the easiest of people to get along with, & was very particular about the company she kept. But despite his jokes she could see the pain in his thoughts, & in his heart. How could she say no ? 

Mantis set her cup down to take his hand, shutting her eyes for a moment to focus; to separate his thoughts & feelings from hers. She used to be able to do it so easily, but their time apart had made everything quite foreign again: it was a big shock, being to intimate again after so long. But every graceful, Mantis did her best, & when she opened her eyes again, her smile was soft & sympathetic. 

❛  i can see  that.  i guess i wasn’t  tooooo  late,  unless that coffee is re-heated.  ❜

Peter’s response comes quick,  the humorous strings of his words stretch those lips for a smile.  their past murmur in a buzzing din within his mind,  striving to come to the shallower surfaces of his psyche  &  that,  she can tell.  he’s used to this concept of no surprises,  being read,  being exposed for things he dare not tell.  he trusts her though  &  that’s enough for him to be fully relaxed in her presence.  eyes shift,  the surroundings do not make him falter in the slightest as he settles by his cup. 

❛  a lil’ bit.  i was with Cosmo actually,  maybe he already told you about that.  ❜  he says  &  reaches for it,  hiding himself behind the rim of the cup despite how he cannot hide the flashbacks to what had happened with Adam.  

❛  jeez,  i feel like i haven’t seen you in fifty years.  it’s good to see you again.  ❜  a pause,  brief,  he cannot even tell what it carries.  ❛  what’s with that smile o’ yours, hm  ?  yep,  i’m here to ask you to come hang with us.  i bet you didn’t need to read my mind to get to that one.  ❜

          “    Of course it is. Nobody likes cold coffee.    ”

          NOT QUITE A TRUE STATEMENT, ACTUALLY. In fact back on Earth, in Vietnam, Mantis & the girls at the brothels would often start their day with a cool, refreshing cup. It did often get so humid there -- but Mantis preferred her coffee sweet, & her tea bitter. Unlike Peter, who preferred his coffee bitter & his tea not even there.

She took the seat opposite him after her sat down, reaching for a teaspoon to add some sugar into her cup before looking back up at him, catching herself smiling ever so slightly. Mantis was under no illusions that the team had missed her: more often than not they expressed quite freely how weird & crazy they thought she was. With Phyla gone as well, Mantis had only one true friend left, & he was with her now.

         “    It is not difficult to figure out what you are thinking, Peter. & this one is sure you’ve come for your own sake, & not the rest of the team’s. She is under no delusions that they miss her, or even want her back.    ”

If they did it would only be for their own benefit. Mantis didn’t mind it so much -- she had never cared too much about what other people thought of her. But how it had ended, losing Phyla, losing Peter... she doesn’t think she could live through that again & keep herself, & the team, together.