Chapter Text
Looking out the window, he bobbed his head, listening to his Walkman, lost in thought. It had been almost two weeks since their last job, and he was going a little stir crazy. If they didn’t get a job soon, he was going to have them visit the nearest planet so he could get a drink and a nice lay.
Even with his headphones on, he could still hear the others. Groot was peacefully watering some plants while Rocket worked on top of him. He glanced over, making sure he wasn’t making another bomb before looking out the window again. He heard Drax get off the couch, grunting like he usually did from the effort, likely going to the kitchen.
He glanced at the time, both Galactic standard and Terran time. It was almost lunch in galactic standard, but an early brunch in Terran. If Drax made them lunch, he’d have to save a little for later. Even after all these years living in space, his body still couldn’t adjust to the Galactic standard time everyone else used. That’s why he kept a Terran clock near him at all times so he knew when to sleep or eat. For the most part, it worked, except mornings were miserable. Rocket would accuse him of being lazy whenever he slept in late, even though it was still early for him. Luckily, once he had some coffee, he was finally able to function.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a large crunch. His head snapped over, and he found Rocket doing the same before he erupted into curses and shouts aimed at an annoyed Drax.
“Look what you did, you idiot!”
He shouted, looking at whatever Drax destroyed.
“Don’t call me an idiot just because your junk was in the way.”
Rocket glared, giving him an offended look.
“It's not junk.”
“Then why is it on the floor?”
Drax kicked it to the side, and Rocket gave an offended shout.
“Don’t kick my stuff or I’ll destroy yours.”
“I’ll skin you rodent.”
“You wanna bet.”
“No fighting you two.”
He stood up when they both pulled out weapons, aiming at each other.
“It's his fault. He kicked my stuff.”
Rocket quickly blamed, holding his favorite blaster up, ready to fire if Drax so much as twitched.
“Don’t leave it where I can kick it.”
Rocket growled, and Groot ripped the weapon away before he could fire at Drax.
“Groot.”
Rocket gave his friend a betrayed look.
“I am groot.”
“How can you take that idiot's side?”
“I’m not an idiot rodent.”
“What did you say?”
Rocket snarled and leaped at Drax, who held his weapons at the ready. Not wanting the ship to get destroyed by those two fighting, he quickly got between them.
“Put the knife away, Drax.”
He turned towards Rocket, who was being held by Groot.
“Drax is right, you need to stop leaving your stuff everywhere. We’re all stepping on it, and it hurts worse than a Lego.”
“What’s a Lego?”
“It's… Never mind.”
He didn’t feel like explaining an Earth toy to them. Especially because he knew Drax would just ask why they played with something so stupid, and if that's why he was so weak. Then he’d tell him about some game that involved murder and how it made him stronger, and that he should have done that instead of wasting his time with Legos.
“Shut up, Quill! I don’t complain about your disgusting humie smell.”
Rocket snapped, taking things out of proportion even for him. It looks like he’s not the only one going stirr crazy. Instead of needing a quick fuck, though, Rocket wanted a fight. Although it was tempting, he wasn’t willing to destroy the Milano.
“Yes, you do. You complain about how I smell all the time.”
“That’s because you stink.”
“I don’t smell.”
He gave him a defensive look and was backed up by Groot.
“I am groot.”
“Why are you taking their side? I’d have more room if it weren’t for all your plant junk.”
“Guys.”
“I am groot.”
“Shut up, Groot. I can leave my stuff wherever I want. It's not my fault, Drax is so big.”
“I am groot.”
“It's not rude. He’s the one who eats everything.”
Rocket gestured at Drax, who crossed his arms.
“I get hungry. Especially after slaying my enemies.”
“Guys.”
“Rockets, right. You don’t have to eat it all. It's not fair that we get back from a mission and find you eating all our food.”
He complained, thinking about the chips he’d been looking forward to, only to find them all gone because Drax ate them.
“Not that it helps, but maybe you’d get some if you didn’t take so long in the shower.”
“Weren’t you just complaining about my smell?”
“That’s why I said it doesn’t help. You care more about your appearance than anyone here.”
“It's part of my charm.”
“What charm?”
He was about to say something when Gamora finally had enough.
“Guys!”
She shouted, brandishing her weapons. All of them turned to look at her, their argument forgotten in the face of an angry assassin.
“Will you four shut up and come here. We’ve received some job offers.”
“We have?”
“Finally.”
He bounced over in excitement and sat in his usual chair. The others followed after him at a slower pace and watched as he pulled them up.
“It looks like we have a few to choose from.”
“I say we take them all. More money for us.”
“We don’t know what they could be.”
“So money is money?”
“Even if it involves being in a pet contest.”
Rocket growled.
“I thought we promised never to bring that up again.”
They all laughed, ignoring Rocket's grumbling. He pulled up the first message and read through it, only to be surprised when Drax recognized them.
“If they are asking for help, then it must be important. We must aid them at once.”
“We will.”
He reassured even as Rocket asked what they were paying. Everyone ignored him, and he pulled up the next message, which was someone asking for Groot's help, specifically with their crops.
“We’ll take that one. The rest of you can help whatever weirdo Drax knows.”
“Their not weird. They are a warrior with great strength. Someone you should learn from.”
“No thanks. While Groot is helping with crops or whatever. I’m going to check out some of the underground markets. That planet is known for its long-range blasters.”
“Stay out of trouble. We don’t need law enforcement breathing down our neck.”
Gamora glared, and Drax frowned.
“That is not as important as helping my friend.”
“You don’t know what’s important.”
“We still have another message.”
He interrupted before Drax and Rocket could get into another fight.
He pulled it up and found a request asking them to steal something.
“I thought we were trying not to be criminals.”
Gamora glared at Rocket, who looked ready to say something.
“This is for a good cause. They are asking us to help them return an important religious artifact that had been taken from their planet during a civil war.”
“If they know who has it, why don’t they just ask for it back?”
“They tried. The rich jerk who bought it refuses to give it back. This artifact is very important for religious ceremonies, and they are willing to pay quite a bit for it.”
“We’re taking it.”
Rocket's eyes lit up when he read how much they’d be paid.
“Their on Xandar.”
Gamora pointed out, and Rocket shrugged.
“Shouldn’t be a problem. The Nova core is stupid, and we’re heroes.”
“We were just acquitted of all crimes. Are we really going to steal from Xandar so soon after having our records erased?”
“That’s only if we get caught, which I won’t.”
“This offer has a time limit. They want it back before their next religious ceremony.”
“That complicates things, but I’m sure…”
“You're busy with Groot.”
“That doesn’t mean we should give up on all those easy units.”
“I’m saying someone else should go besides you.”
Rocket turned to Gamora.
“Are you taking this job?”
“I need Gamora’s help with my friend.”
Drax protested.
“We need someone to take this job.”
“I can take this job.”
“You?”
The others gave him dubious looks, and he gave them an offended look.
“You do remember we met because I stole that orb?”
“I remember you being caught.”
“I was caught because of you and Gamora.”
“We knew you had the orb because you’d been caught by Ronan's men.”
Gamora pointed out not happy, that he blamed her for his getting caught by the Nova core.
“That wasn’t my fault. They just showed up.”
Rocket rolled his eyes, and he huffed, turning away from his team.
“I stole all the time when I was with the ravagers, and I never got caught. This will be easy.”
“I still think Gamora should go instead. You can go with Drax.”
“No, Quill is too weak.”
“Hey!”
“You are not as good a fighter as Gamora. I would think you would know this from how often she throws you to the floor during spars.”
He decided not to argue, knowing Drax was right about that.
“You don’t all have to act like I’m useless.”
He turned around and sent Rocket and Groot the details regarding the request for Groot's help.
“Gamora. Drax, you can take this one.”
He sent them the details Drax’s friend had sent, requiring backup.
“You two can also take the pod. Rocket can drop me off on Xandar before he and Groot take care of their mission.”
He watched as the others split off to get ready, and he sighed, trying to ignore how it hurt that his team had such little faith in him. Besides the incident with the orb and some petty crimes when he first started, he’d never been caught. Even when he’d stolen some priceless items that had led to a manhunt.
“We’re leaving.”
Gamora announced, and he came to say goodbye.
“Good luck, you two.”
“We won’t need luck. Only our knives in which we will use to sever the spines of anyone who messes with my friend.”
“Right…”
He looked at Gamora, who shrugged, pushing Drax towards the pod.
“Come on, Drax. Let’s go save your friend.”
Once they were gone, the Milano jumped to Xandar, where they received a message from Nova Corps telling them where to land. He followed their instructions, ignoring Rocket, who complained about fees. Usually, he had to sneak onto the planet with the other ravagers, but this time they were able to simply land. It was a novel experience and a reminder not to get caught.
“Take care of my baby, Rocket.”
He patted the Milano, reluctant to let Rocket take it but knowing it was necessary.
“Don’t mess up.”
He ignored his warning and stepped out onto Xandar. It was as busy as usual, with the port bustling with life. He kept his head down, not wanting anyone to recognize him. Even though he enjoyed the fame that came with saving Xandar, right now it would only make his job harder. When stealing, the last thing you wanted to do was stand out.
He pulled his hood up and walked through the more unsavory parts of Xandar. Even though he was no longer a criminal, he didn’t feel like he belonged in the nicer parts of Xandar. The unsavory parts were more familiar, and walking through them gave him time to think. He needed to find a way to move through the rich jerk's neighborhood without raising any suspicion.
He knew all it took was a quick call of suspicious activity before Nova swarmed, desperate to protect the rich bastards who lived there, and didn’t like the idea of a commoner lowering the neighborhood's property value with his mere presence.
“Stop right there, Peter Quill.”
He raised his hands and turned around slowly, even though he didn’t do anything wrong. He watched as a Nova Corps officer walked towards him. He sighed, cursing his luck, and put on a charming smile because he hadn’t done anything yet, and they couldn’t arrest him.