[Gamora pursed her lips, then her eyes fell on the Walkman clipped to Star-Lord's waist. She reached out and picked it up.]
["You risked your life for this?" She flicked a switch, and music began to play softly from the headphones.]
["It was a gift from my mother."]
[Gamora looked up at him, her expression softening slightly.]
["My mom shared all the pop songs she loved when she was growing up. I just happened to have it with me when… when I was taken."]
[Star-Lord took a deep breath. "That day… she…"]
[He opened his mouth, but the memory of his mother's last moments, of his failure to take her hand, was still too painful. He quickly changed the subject.]
["You know, that was the day I left Earth." He gently took the Walkman and clipped it back to his belt.]
["What's it for?"]
["What? It's for listening to music! Or… we could dance."]
["I am a warrior and an assassin. I do not dance."]
["Really? On my planet, we have a legend about people like you. It's called Footloose."]
["In the story, there's this great hero named Kevin Bacon. He shows up in a town full of uptight people who've outlawed dancing. And he teaches them how to dance… He's a true hero!"]
[To Star-Lord's surprise, Gamora's focus went somewhere completely unexpected.]
["He taught them to loosen their feet? Was it a medical condition?"]
["What? No! It's not…"]
["A warrior's footing must be firm. Loosening it seems counter-intuitive."]
["It's just an expression!" Star-Lord said, laughing as he took off his headphones and placed them over Gamora's ears.]
[Gamora listened for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly. She spoke louder than necessary. "THIS MELODY IS PLEASANT!"]
[Star-Lord watched her, a genuine smile on his face. He reached out and took her hand, and the two slowly leaned in.]
[Just as their lips were about to meet, Gamora snapped back to reality. "No!" she cried, shoving him back and drawing her blade to his throat in one fluid motion.]
[Star-Lord yelped in shock. "Ow! What are you doing?"]
[Gamora pressed him against the railing. "I know who you are, Peter Quill! I am not some starry-eyed girl you can win over with… with your pelvic sorcery! I will not fall for it!"]
["You have really misunderstood me!"]
[Just as Gamora released him, a commotion erupted from the bar. Star-Lord saw Drax and Groot fighting, surrounded by a cheering crowd.]
["Oh, no!" He rushed inside, with Gamora right behind him.]
[Drax was on top of Groot, punching him repeatedly in the face.]
[Groot roared, and thick vines shot out to wrap around Drax's neck, but Drax ripped them apart with brute force.]
[Rocket whipped out his gun and aimed it squarely at Drax.]
[Just as Drax lunged again, Gamora intervened. "Enough! Stop this!"]
["Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!" Star-Lord skidded to a halt, grabbing Rocket's arm.]
[Drax roared, "This disgusting vermin speaks only nonsense!"]
["Damn right I do!" Rocket snarled back.]
[Seeing that Rocket felt no remorse, Drax bellowed again, "He is arrogant and insolent!"]
[Star-Lord quickly stepped between them. "Hang on! Everybody calm down!"]
[Rocket was furious. "You call me vermin again! You wanna laugh at me like everyone else, huh?"]
["Rocket, you're drunk! All right? No one is laughing at you!"]
[Rocket's voice cracked with raw indignation. "He thinks I'm some mindless freak! It's not like I asked for any of this!"]
["It's not like I asked to be taken apart and put back together over and over again until I was turned into this… this little monster!"]
[Rocket's body trembled as he spoke, and his words were choked by a sob he couldn't hold back.]
["Rocket, no one said you were a monster," Star-Lord said softly.]
[Tears welled in Rocket's eyes. He pointed a shaking finger at Drax and Gamora. "That big oaf called me vermin! She called me a rodent! Let's see if you can still wear that damn smile after I blow it off your ugly face!"]
[Drax started to move forward, but Gamora and Star-Lord immediately blocked his path.]
["No, no, no! Don't forget the forty billion units! Rocket, come on, man! Don't do this! We just have to get through this one messy night, and we'll all be rich!"]
[The mention of the money seemed to pierce through his rage. Rocket slowly, reluctantly, lowered his gun.]
["Fine," he muttered. "But I can't promise I won't kill all you bastards after we get paid."]
[Seeing Rocket was still grumbling, Star-Lord's patience finally snapped.]
["This is why you don't have any friends! Every time you get close to someone, you just push them away!"]
"That raccoon has a terrible personality," Tony Stark observed, narrowing his eyes. "But it sounds like there's a story there." He knew all about having a difficult personality, but Rocket's was on another level—caustic, defensive, and lethally aggressive.
"He went through a painful transformation to become what he is," Wanda said softly, her heart aching for the creature on screen. The raw pain in Rocket's voice, the horror of being taken apart and rebuilt against his will… it struck a familiar, agonizing chord within her. "Oh, the poor thing…"
A heavy silence fell over the Guardians in the viewing room. Finally, Gamora turned to the Rocket sitting beside her. "I'm sorry, Rocket," she said, her voice quiet but sincere. "I didn't mean to call you a rodent."
"I am also sorry," Drax added, his usual boisterous tone gone.
Rocket just turned his head away, not wanting them to see the conflict in his eyes. "It's fine," he mumbled.
"Hey, Rocket," Star-Lord began gently. "Are you… interested in telling us about what happened to you?"
"No," Rocket snapped, cutting him off. "The past is the past. I don't want to talk about it."
His heart clenched. The names echoed in the silence of his mind. Lylla. Teefs. Floor. His friends. The first and only family he'd ever known, lost in the bloody chaos of his first escape. He hated the High Evolutionary with every fiber of his being, but he was powerless, a tiny monster against a god. And now, thanks to this damned broadcast, his creator knew where he was. A new fear began to bloom in his chest—what if the High Evolutionary came looking for him again? What if something happened to Quill, Gamora, and the others because of him?
He didn't know it, but as his thoughts spiraled, the Milano's navigation system pinged softly. On the main screen, a familiar blue marble spun into view. They had arrived. One last jump, and they would be on Earth.
Rocket looked at the faces of his new, dysfunctional crew. He would deal with his past later. First, he had to find the Avengers.