#kragbula

Fathers and their children.

Two have committed treason.

The others have been fiercely loyal.

Yeah, I know the title sucks. Okay, so someone was like ‘Let’s ship Kraglin and Nebula’ and I was like ‘OMG, yes.’ But then @mugsandpugs1 pointed out that there was no fan fiction of these two. So I decided to fix that with a small ficlet. I do plan on writing more. If you like this, reblog it, comment or leave me a tip! A03 link.

“Hey Nebula?”

Nebula looked up. She had been working on her cybernetic hand when someone came into the room. Oh, it was Kraglin. The one Ravager whose name she remembered aside from Yondu’s. He was also the only man around who didn’t seem terrified of her. It was confusing. Most men couldn’t stand to be around her. Granted, it wasn’t a surprise. She was a monster, a killer. But Kraglin was different. He seemed to like being around her.  Why? She wasn’t sure. But nevertheless, she accepted his presence. Kraglin was strange but so was she. Whatever the reason was, Nebula accepted Kraglin’s presence.

“So um---I gotcha something.”

Now Nebula was even more confused. No one got her things. People didn’t see a random object and think of her.  Kraglin pulled out a small box from his pocket. Curious, Nebula closed up the panel in her arm and took the box. It had been poorly wrapped in some cheap paper but she said nothing as she opened it up. Inside was a necklace with a small green space alien pendant. Nebula had seen them before. They were a popular symbol on Terra. Looking up at Kraglin, she was silent for a moment.

“I like it.” She managed to say.

The pendant was made of cheap green plastic and it was obviously it was from Earth. Terrans thought that aliens all had green skin with huge, weird bug eyes. The pendant was a neon green with a pair of black eyes that were wide. In her fingers, it felt smooth and cool. The string was metal but it was light in her hands.

“Yeah, I saw it when I was on some planet and I thought you might like it,” Kraglin said, tugging at his collar slightly. “But if you don’t like it, I can go return it.”

“No.”

As strange and weird as the necklace was, Nebula liked it. In fact, she wanted to keep it. Nebula had never owned a piece of jewelry nor had anyone ever given her a gift. This was the first gift she had ever truly received. It also meant something.  There was an emotional attachment to it. Kraglin had seen this strange little trinket and had thought of her. He went through the trouble of purchasing it to give it to her. Never in her whole life had anyone ever gone out of their way to just be nice to her.

“Help me put it on?”

Kraglin’s face went red but he nodded. Nebula handed the necklace over to him and then turned around. Kraglin placed the necklace around her neck and fastened the clip.  

Then Nebula smiled.

It was only for a second but it was a real, genuine smile. For other women, this was something they probably experienced often. But for Nebula, it was different. Her life had been filled with nothing but bloodshed and fighting. Her father never loved her nor did he love Gamora. They were just a means to an end to him. Growing up, she had never felt loved or wanted. Even as an adult, no man or woman even gave her a second look. She was not pretty or sexy, she was a freak. Most of her body wasn’t even real anymore. Who wanted a cyborg as a lover or friend?  Presents were something she wasn’t used to either. This was new to her. At that moment, she vowed she would keep this forever.

She was still confused as to why Kraglin gave her this gift. They weren’t really friends. Or maybe they were. Nebula wasn’t really sure. Friendships or rather, relationships in general, confused her. It didn’t rather matter to her though. What mattered was the gift and thought that someone in the whole universe besides Gamora had thought of her.

“So you like it?” Kraglin asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Nebula said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kraglin grinned. “I’ll um—leave ya to fixing your hand. See ya.”

Kraglin waved before walking out the door. When he was gone, Nebula then picked up the small mirror near her bedside table. Looking at herself in the mirror, she managed to smile again. It was brief but it was a real smile.