{☆} “Get away from H I M!” Gamora growled, spinning around on her heel. Her foot planted itself right where Peter’s face had been, prior to her slender hand yanking at the back of his jacket, T U G G I N G him back from the Titan. Her eyes had gone from weary, exhausted, battle-worn to F I E R C E, furious, and full of rage.

She was rather fond of their new friends (could she call them F R I E N D S?) and allies--but the Guardians? Those were her people. Her F A M I L Y.

And Peter...he was her mate. Something told her that Thanos hadn’t bothered to research the Zen-Whoberis prior to W I P I N G them out. But if he had bothered to get past the part about P E A C E-loving, then surely he would’ve seen the bit about T E R R I T O R I A L, particularly when it came to their mates and partners.

“You will not H U R T him!” She snarled, raising the tip of Godslayer to the man who fancied himself her F A T H E R. It had been a long time coming. 

The battled had waged on, but something kept the two from meeting F A C E to face. Not for a lack of trying. She should’ve known something was amiss when Peter R U S H E D forward. The Avengers were all weary and exhausted, tired. They’d never faced anything like this before. 

She wished she could say the G U A R D I A N S had experience. But she didn’t ever count Ego on par with Thanos. There were causalities, but Gamora hadn’t had much time to identify the dead.

No--it was time to focus on the T I T A N.

“You will not S U C C E E D here, Thanos! I will E N D you!”

{☆} “You’re S T R O N G. Just what we need.” Gamora couldn’t quite hide the amused smile on her lips, lowering her B L A D E from the Asgardian M A I D E N. She took a step back and bowed her head, retracting Godslayer slowly. She paced around and leaned against the wall, observing Sif through weary and F E A R F U L eyes.

The eyes of someone who knew that a S H O W D O W N with her abuser was coming. She knew why Thanos was doing what he was doing. And it was a M A J O R factor in her direct avoidance of anything romantic. Until she met Peter, of course.

Thanos was B E S O T T E D by the Goddess of Death. 

And if there was anyone, besides Thor--who truthfully needed to R E S T before anything else, who knew about Hela, it would be Sif.

The Zen-Whoberi let out a breath, wiping the sweat from her brow. “What did she D O to Asgard? What is she C A P A B L E of?” She finally asked, lifting a thin silver brow. 

“What do we need to K N O W?”

{☆} Gamora landed into the C A P T A I N with a loud grunt. They both collapsed onto the cracked ground, bruised and A C H I N G. Sweat dripped down her face as she tried to get back up, crawling off of Steve. She had to catch her breath before going back in to A T T A C K but every inhale brought wave after wave of P A I N.

Shattered ribs were never any fun.

She stumbled back and offered a tired and B L E E D I N G hand to the Captain. “We--We need to get back in there...” She breathed out raggedly, watching as their teams, their friends...their F A M I L I E S keep fighting. Thanos wasn’t making it any easier on them, nor did she E X P E C T him too.

But this was B R U T A L. 

Thor was crumpled on the ground somewhere, the S H O C K of watching the Titan’s hands SQUEEZING his head like a F R U I T nearly faltered Gamora. She knew the man who called himself her F A T H E R needed to be stopped. 

Her eyes landed on Peter--her Peter-- flying around with Rocket’s aero-rig, firing at him and barely D O D G I N G fists. Until he couldn’t and he was falling onto the ground with a heartwrenching G R U N T.

“PETER!”

Gamora screamed out, trying to move. She turned her head to Steve and nodded her head. “Can you give me a B O O S T?”

{☆} “I am not trying to wound you--or offend you in the slightest...but you are just a B O Y.” Gamora whispered, examining the young one with wide eyes. A part of her wanted to ram her S W O R D into Tony Stark’s face for bringing her a C H I L D to help in the upcoming G A L A C T I C battle.

She pressed a cool hand to the younger, smaller Peter’s face, cocking her head to the side. How many children had she seen Thanos S L A U G H T E R on her planet before taking her? How many children had Thanos T A K E N from their families, from their people, from their H O M E S, and trained to be murderers?

Countless. 

And now here they were--sending another child out to D I E. 

Not while she was breathing.

“No. No. Stark--he’s not coming.” She gently pushed the boy away from her, shaking her head. “I will not  A L L O W it. He’s...just a child.”