#ktcr

Gamora glances between his face and the hand that’s suddenly draped over one of her shoulders. He’s grinning so easily, his face is so open and carefree and...affectionate. He’s also warm; his arm is warm around her, his chest is warm where she finds herself pressed against it. It feels weird and also--natural. Weird how natural it feels. Before Peter, she cannot recall the last time anyone has touched her gently.

“Are we going to walk up the stairs this way?” she asks, trying to keep her voice light. Can Terrans’ ears pick up heartbeats from this distance? She doesn’t think so. She hopes he can’t hear how quick hers has gotten.

“Hey, if anyone can do it we can,” he says, shrugging. The movement jostles her slightly.

Recalling how recently she saw him do any number of less than graceful things, including dropping a barbell on himself, she says, “So I will catch you if you fall, is your plan?”

“Exactly!” he says cheerfully. “Teamwork! This is how friends walk up stairs!”

They finally begin to ascend the rather long, spiralling staircase, going much slower than they would need to if they were walking normally.

Her dreams have been featuring the gym lately.

Perhaps it’s the fact that she’s begun sparring with Peter -- Not much of a challenge for her, but he needs better instruction on how to protect himself in hand-to-hand combat, how to use every asset of his comparatively weak physique in situations where he might not have access to blasters or jet packs. Plus she finds his company enjoyable, though definitely not for the fact that she gets to touch him, often when he’s not wearing a shirt.