bakerstreet | ( quote prompt )

[ By some miracle of the universe, she and Peter don’t fight often, but she hates it when they do. Right now, she feels like the world’s biggest asshole, throwing her suspicions in his face after he came back looking so happy.

It occurs to her that she has no idea what it would be like to be in his position. If her own parents suddenly descended from nowhere, asking to be a part of her life, at best they’d get a “yeah right, see ya” and at worst they’d each get a bullet to the head. She has never wanted this like Peter wants this, and while there’s a part of her that longs for this to work out for his sake, there’s a lot of distance there. ]

I— okay, okay. I’m sorry. I don’t want this to be a fight, I really don’t.

You know me, I don’t trust easily, but I know I’m not being fair. I’m willing to give him a chance.

[ She will, very likely, continue to distrust him every step of the way until she’s given good reason not to, but she can play nice for now. And if it turns out that Ego is on the up and up? Well, she’s a big enough person to admit when she’s wrong.

And she truly does hope that she’s wrong. ]

[ He yanks off his coat with a little more force than strictly necessary – this conversation is not one he's particularly enjoying, obviously, and he just wants it to be over. But even with that concession, Peter's a little wary, and it shows in the way he turns back to look at her, the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown. He bundles his coat in his hands, twisting at the stiff material. ]

Are you saying that 'cause you mean it, or are you just saying it so we don't have to argue anymore?

[ Maya presses her lips together as she watches him, discomfort and annoyance written in every line of his body. At length, she heaves a sigh. ]

Cards on the table. I’m wary, I’m probably going to be wary for a while, but I can also see that this is very important to you. I’m willing to give Ego a chance, for your sake.

We’ve been through too much together for me to be incapable of shoving aside some discomfort just so you can introduce me to your dad.

[ Peter’s jaw clenches at that – not entirely happy with that answer, apparently, but not displeased enough that he wants to start the fight up over it again.

Not now, anyway.

He tosses his coat away, leaves it draped and crumpled over the back of one of the couches, where his pack is already flopped over on the cushions. He drags it up, fishing out a shirt and another jacket, his movements still a little sharper than necessary &dnash; a vague outlet for how frustrated he is by this entire thing.

It’s silent for a while, practically fuming as he stares down at the new shirt in his hands. Eventually, he screws his eyes shut and heaves out a sigh. ]

... I really want this to work, Maya.

[ Maya’s expression softens as she watches him, and she reaches out to gather him close once he makes his little confession. She has no idea what this is like for him, but she can be there for him all the same. That doesn’t mean she has to let her guard down, and she doesn’t intend to. ]

I know you do, Peter. I do, too.

Let’s take this one step at a time, okay? Isn’t introducing your girlfriend to your dad like a special occasion or something?

[ And just like that, most of the anger drains away from his. The tension in his shoulders and back drops away as he slumps against her, one hand coming to rest on the small of her back. He presses his cheek against her hair again, and at her question, his quiet, huff of a laugh stirs a few of those blue strands. ]

God. I hadn’t even thought of that. This is going to be awkward as hell, isn’t it?

[ Then, he affects a slightly dopey voice, something deep and a little throaty. ]

“Hey, Maya, this is Dad. Dad, this Maya. She’s a badass siren who can burn people alive with her mind. He’s a god who can wipe out a fleet of spaceships with a sneeze.

“You guys are gonna have a lot to talk about, I bet.”

[ She laughs a little, reaching up the gently comb her fingers through his hair. ]

If you’d like, I can tell him about how amazing you are instead.

I appreciate the gesture, but no need. Pretty sure that’s already a well-established fact.

[ And he manages to bring up that earlier smile – a little muted now, admittedly – before he inhales sharply and jerks away. His expression brightens with a boyish sort of excitement. ]

Wait, holy shit, I can’t believe I haven’t—

Hang on— [ And he steps back, holding his hands up. ] I need to show you something.

[ The way he suddenly jerks back startles her, and for a second she’s worried he’s upset again, but that is certainly not a hurt expression on Peter’s face. ]

Okay? Go ahead.

[ He flashes another smile as he places his hands as Ego showed him, hands held out with the palms loosely facing one another. He shuts his eyes again, concentrating, feeling that warm flicker deep below his feet and drawing it up, lets that light fill him up and—

His eyes open as he feels that surge again, and blue fire flares to life in his hands, prickly but without heat. A laugh bordering dangerously close to a giggle bubbles up out of him, something giddy and bright.

He sings when he speaks again, something almost chorus-like, ]

I have motherfucking super powers!

[ Maya honestly has no idea where this is going, and keeps that slightly confused look on Peter as he does… whatever it is he’s doing.

But when that blue light springs up from Peter’s palms, Maya’s eyes go wide. Maya remembers well what it was like to discover her powers, and though she couldn’t do much with them at the time, she does remember the joy and wonder- something she still feels on occasion when she does something especially awesome. Those feelings are reflected in Peter’s face, and she can’t help but grin as well, something wide and bright. ]

Peter, that’s amazing!

Right?

[ Almost an octave higher than normal, and he barks out another laugh, almost like he can't quite believe it, himself. After that he frowns with concentration, molding the light, trying to give it form.

He ends up only with another lopsided orb, something that flickers and wobbles like gelatin that can't quite hold its shape. His lips twist to one side, unimpressed with himself. ]

... That was supposed to be a ball. [ And he squashes it between his palms, extinguishing the light. ] Still haven't gotten the hang of it, obviously.

You’ll get there.

[ That smile on her face hasn’t gone away. If nothing else, at least Peter gets this out of this encounter. He gets answers and superpowers, so all in all, it’s not a bad deal.

She outstretches her left hand, blue tattoos flaring bright for a second as an orb of light gathers in her palm. ]

It just takes time and practice.

[ He huffs out a breath, something that tries to be a sigh though it's more of a laugh than anything, and his nose wrinkles with mock distaste. ]

Show-off.

[ He concentrates again, letting flame gather in his palm. ]

I guess there's some connection he and I have to the light at the core of the planet. It's how he made this place. [ Punctuated with a wave of his free hand to their surroundings. ] He wants to teach me, I think. He says it's going to take a while to master, but he thinks I have potential.

[ Maya lets the light in her hand die out, reaching out instead to gingerly run her fingers along Peter’s forearm. She stops before she gets to his hand, though, unsure if she should touch. Peter admitted himself that he doesn’t have the hang of it yet, and she’d hate for him to like… accidentally set her on fire or something. ]

What does it do? Will you be going around making planets of your own after this?

[ He snorts out a laugh. ]

I think so? Or at least, I can use it to just— make stuff, I think. Could make a giant statue in your likeness, if you wanted.

[ Though for now, the flame is formless, licking up his fingers, and he transfers it to his other hand. ]

And there are probably other benefits I just— didn't know about. All this time, I could've been doing cool shit like this. Like, what if I can fly or something? Maybe I've got super strength, and I just gotta tap into the light to use it.

[ Her eyes are on the flame in his hand, but at his remark she wrinkles her nose. ]

I’m not really a “giant statue” kind of girl.

[ Unpleasant connotations there, and she’d rather not be reminded of Handsome Jack or the Order’s attempts to laud her as some kind of goddess. She’d be the first to admit that being a Siren was awesome, but she’d prefer to skip on the worship. ]

I guess the only way to figure it all out is to learn.

[ He's not entirely sure what mistake he might have made, there, though he recognizes that he's said something wrong. He lets the flame gutter and disappear and drops his hands to his side. ]

Could take a while. Lots of trial and error and possibly setting a lot of things on fire before I figure it all out.

Remind me to keep my distance then.

[ She is very clearly joking, and his earlier statement obviously didn't bother her too much because she's smiling at him again. ]

But if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. I know some great meditation techniques.

Meditation.

[ He repeats it back with some disdain, nose wrinkling and corners of his mouth turning down. ]

You think these things are similar enough to help?

Meditation helps me focus. It could help you too.

[ She jabs a finger at his side, still grinning ]

But we're probably getting ahead of ourselves.

[ He lets out an overblown hiss at the poke, pressing a hand to the spot. ]

You know, if you wanted to do teacher-student roleplaying, I'm pretty sure there's usually rulers involved. And safewords.

Can we please not? This whole place like... is your dad, and that's kid of awkward.

[ Way to ruin the moment, Maya ]

[ Peter snorts out a laugh. ]

Pretty sure the awkwardness reached peak levels when Drax asked about my father's dick, so.

[ A slightly defeated shrug. ]

Nowhere to go from there but down.

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