otherwordly;

[gameofsocks]

Otherwordly Meme

Sometimes all you need is a word to spark off an idea.

1. Post a comment with your character's name, canon, and any preferences you may have (no shipping, no smut, etc.)

2. Leave the comment blank or post a word or two in the body.

It may also help if you list scenarios you would like to play.

3. Reply to other people, either with words you picked out, or words they posted as prompts for a thread.

Comments

[terrify]

[ gamora smiles, feeling something warm spread through her entire being. she shakes her head, and gently says, ] That doesn't sound dumb to me.

[ the mention of ufos included. a very small part of her thinks to ask him what those are again, but she forgoes it for now. there'll be time for her to ask him numerous questions, like if kevin bacon was named after bacon, or why he thought he could see a ufo from the great distance between the atmosphere and his small hill.

meredith feels close … she's always liked any mentions of her. they're always so warm, so tangible, even if gamora can never each out and touch them. it feels distantly familiar.

she looks down at the zune in her hands. i want you back is a song she loves to sing to when no one's anywhere near her quarters on their ship. she taps what she's memorised as its beat against him where her hand curls around his waist, uncaring if he notices.

gamora doesn't allow herself to think and weigh up what she feels on the tip of her tongue. wistfully, she recalls her own hill. ] My mother and I used to look for a shooting star that never came.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Oh.

It's rare for Gamora to offer up memories of her childhood, and whenever she did, Peter would make a habit of falling quiet, of letting her speak. Memories like this were precious – something he knew all too well – and he values every quiet moment like this. ]

Yeah?

[ Quiet, prompting. And invitation to continue on. ]

On Earth, we had— have— this... tradition, I think. If you see a shooting star and make a wish, it'll come true.

What about you guys?

[terrify]

[ for years she hadn't wanted to think about her home — her true home, not the one built by thanos' destructive and manipulative hands — in case the longing became too overwhelming. now, though, gamora sees nothing to fear in it. peter carries his mixtapes as a sign he's thinking of home — or the home he knew. as much as gamora sees peter in everything on earth, she's noted how his steps rarely match the confident ones of tony stark, or even thor.

gamora looks out the window, as if she can see one right now. though she feels an uncomfortable pang of longing in her chest, she feels and appears content. walking down this memory lane isn't so scary with peter. ] It used to mean those who we lost were with you. I haven't seen a shooting star in a long time.

[ she turns her head to face him, lips curved upward. ]

A lot of my wishes came true years after I made my wish.

[ their childhoods weren't so different after all. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ The words make something sweet and warm clench in her chest, and— god, it’s so nice to see Gamora smile.

(Because there was a time when he thought he’d never see that smile again, when he thought he’d never hear her voice or feel the weight of her head against his chest when they fell asleep together, and—)

He can hardly help it, the way he ducks down, the way he captures her lips in a quick, chaste kiss. Her lips are soft and warm against his, and he lingers for a second or two longer than necessary, tries desperately to memorize this exact moment. He’s still living a life half-terrified, worrying that he’ll blink and everything will crumble away to dust, so he keeps soaking in these stolen moments, so that if it’s all a dream, at least he’ll remember.

But he pulls back, bringing up a hand to cup her cheek, and he returns her smile a little hesitantly. ]

You mean everything to me.

[ And he whispers the words – this is just for them, just for this private little bubble while they shut out the rest of the world, and all the responsibilities and heartache and everything that’ll weight down on them, once they start the day properly. ]

You know that, right?

[terrify]

[ gamora wishes it would last longer. he is always so unsure, so aware of how important their relationship is to him. sometimes she wishes this dance was less softer.

the thought of wanting more doesn't make her smile drop at all. rather, it has a different effect — she smiles, almost as brightly as a star stitched in their galaxy. much like what exists in their galaxy, her heart skips a very human and very corny beat at the way he looks at her.

quiet but firmly, ] Yes.

[ holding the zune had been her attempt of holding onto him, in a way. now, she lets it sit in the dip between where her thigh rests against his to reach for his hand. long fingers curl around his wrist, thumb in search for his pulse. she's not used to this display of intimacy, but she doesn't mind it one bit. ]

I'm not going away, Peter. [ she presses gently down on his wrist to emphasise her point. keeping her gaze firmly trained on his face — the slope of his nose, his long lashes ... ] I meant what I said, even if it was in the moment where I thought I'd never see you again.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ His gaze flits over to her hand, where she grasps his wrist, and he concentrates on the warmth of her fingers, on the pressure of her grip, light though it is. And he reminds himself, for the millionth time, that she's warm and solid and here. Alive and breathing. That she's real, and this is all real, and this is the second chance they deserve.

Another trembling breath, something slightly wet as he tries to hold back the tears that prickle in his eyes, and he offers her a small smile. ]

I'm not going away, either. [ And he casts the words as a promise, guiding her hand at her wrist to press against his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat.

But either because of the uncomfortable gravity of it all, or because he's just naturally inclined to offering up a joke, he adds, ] Good luck trying to get rid of me, though. You're kinda stuck with me.

[terrify]

[ that earns him a roll of her eyes. gamora regards him with a pointed look and mock annoyance, ] I know.

[ the consistent thing about peter quill is not only his heart or his humour, but his inability to be swayed. gamora's beginning to think more and more it must be the human in him that has made him incredibly stubborn. whatever it is, she likes the reliability of it.

her hand unfurls so she can press her palm against his chest, capturing as much of it as she can. she is, after all, the deadliest woman in the galaxy. if she places her hand on his chest, it's instantly protected. or perhaps, in this instance, it's the other way around.

gamora glances down, wondering if she should leave what she wants to ask him be. but she has never hid from peter. she doesn't wish to start now. breathing in deeply, she lets out, ] Is that what you were thinking about before?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ The show of exasperation draws a more genuine smile from him, and when she flattens her palm against his sternum, he covers her hand with his, holding it in place. It’s been years that they’ve been together, but his pulse always still kicks up a little when Gamora is close, when she’s touching him, when she looks at him or smiles in a certain way. He’s pretty sure she can feel it, too, the steady thump of his heartbeat.

Maybe he should be embarrassed, and maybe he was, early on in their relationship, but now, he hardly cares.

His expression falters a little at her question, at the way she keeps her gaze fixed on her hand against his chest. He licks his lips, wondering if he should tell her the truth. Would it help or hurt, reminding her of everything that’s happened? Of how she was gone, how Thanos had killed her, and it wouldn’t have happened if Peter had been faster, smarter, more determined—

But that’s selfish. That’s stupid. Because Gamora is here now. Living. Breathing. He feels her hand on his chest, fingers splayed wide, and he can touch her, can gather her close, can capture her lips in a kiss, if he wants (and he always wants). She’s here. He’s here. That’s all that should matter.

It’s why he lets out a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle. ]

It’s stupid.

[ And he whispers it, casting the words a little uncertainly, even if he tries to keep his tone light. ]

I just— it’s dumb. I know it’s dumb. But I keep... I keep worrying this is a dream. And that I’m gonna wake up, and the universe is still gonna be a wreck, and Thanos will still be out there, and—

[ The words catch briefly, voice breaking, but he clears his throat and continues on with that same forced levity, ]

—and you’ll still be gone.

[terrify]

You're an idiot.

[ she breathes it out, like it's the most normal — and kindest — thing to say. she shakes her head, finding herself smiling, although it isn't with mirth. thanos hadn't taught her compassion, but gamora knows she's good at it — albeit, in her own rough and sometimes awkward way — because it's one of the few remnants of her past life. it's what the guardians have taught her. she's seen it in the way peter roughly speaks to groot and terrorises rocket and drax. she's seen it in the way he regards her sister, even when he has little reason to give nebula a kind glance.

her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt, as though she can pierce the threads then his skin to reach for his heart. perhaps this is enough to convince him this isn't his reality being warped by a cruel titan. perhaps it's what she needs, too, to know that the stars have realigned to form a more magnificent and kinder universe.

she glances down, and speaks quietly, ] It was dumb of me to make you promise me what you did, but you're the only person I trusted. [ she looks up at him, lips pressed together in what could be a sheepish half-smile. asking peter to kill her if thanos was close to capturing her had been reckless and emotionally driven, but gamora hadn't wanted it any other way.

she hadn't thought of what it would feel like for him to live in the aftermath if the ammunition of that gun wasn't transformed into bubbles. now, she sees beyond her own fear. it hadn't been kind nor fair, but it'd been born from something that still exists, even in the aftermath of everything that's transpired.

that requires a minor amendment. ] Who I trust.

[ she gently continues, ] You need to trust that this is real. You haven't lost everything. [ boldly, gamora leans forward to brush her lips against the corner of his mouth. she hardly moves back when she murmurs, ] And you won't.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ The name-calling catches him completely off-guard, and even when an affronted look crosses his face, he still breathes out a startled laugh. But Gamora is smiling too, he realizes, so it’s not really an insult; good-natured teasing, he figures, and he lets it slide.

She continues on, and his own smile fades. Making that promise had terrified him, had made him hope beyond hope that he would never have to be in a position where he would need to keep it. But he had promised, because there was urgency in Gamora’s eyes. Because she had look terrified and determined and desperate.

Because at this point in their lives, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do if Gamora asked it of him. And now they both know that means shooting her in cold blood, if she needed him to.

... Not that he ever wants to do a second take on that. The memory of leveling his blaster at Gamora, of sighting down the barrel to aim directly at her heart, of his hand shaking as he squeezed the trigger – it’s burned into his mind for the rest of his life.

Still, he quietly argues, ]

It wasn’t dumb.

[ Though he doesn’t offer more than that.

When she kisses him, that cold coil of dread and fear loosens a little as he lets out a soft, acknowledging noise. He presses his brow to hers, eyes slipping shut. ]

You can’t promise that.

[ He says it with a bit of resignation. “You won’t lose everything,” she says, but that’s all Peter’s life has been for decades, now. Losing the people he loves, over and over. Mom. Yondu. The team. Gamora. Sure, they had managed to slam the reset button to bring all of the Guardians back, but just because they’re safe now doesn’t mean they’ll be safe forever.

Risking their lives is just part of their jobs, at this point. He accepted that a long time ago.

He lets out a breath, quiet and slow, before he pulls back, studying her. Sure, he has his own problems, but Gamora— she got put through the wringer, and he does nothing to hide the worry and concern on his face. ]

How are you doing?