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[legendary_outlaw]

 

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[godslay]

Drax, clearly.

[ She can feel the shaking that hasn't left him, concern still making her tense, though for now, she maintains the repetitive contact with her fingers as she presses a careful kiss against his hair. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[A needy little sound tears from his throat at that, desperate in a different way than his tears. Mercifully, he's too fear gone to curse himself for it. ]

Clearly.

[He sniffs again, shifting his head to urge more contact with her fingers. ]

[godslay]

[ Her fingers continue to travel along his spine, up over his shoulder, his neck, his throat, soft and persistent, if only to offer something grounding, a sort of reassurance that she's staying right there with him. She drops another kiss at the top of his head, exhaling into those messy curls. ]

I'll change later.

[legendary_outlaw]

[He shudders again, gradually loosening the hand that's been holding her shirt in a white-knuckled grasp, wrapping his arm around her back instead. ]

Don't change. I like you this way.

[He can't quite muster a smile, but he does manage a slight quirk of an eyebrow. ]

[godslay]

[ She eases slightly into the arm wound around her, but she meets that look of his with her own watered-down level of unamusement. ]

You like it when I'm wet?

[ ... With tears. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[Peter chokes, that particular mental image somehow cutting straight through all of the other crap that's been swirling around. For a moment his mouth actually hangs open before he has the good sense to close it, and he thanks whatever deity might not be secretly an evil asshole for the fact that his body's way too exhausted to even think about getting a boner right now. Still, he can't stop the giggle that bubbles up in the back of his throat, small and quiet at first, but rapidly getting loud and hysterical. ]

[godslay]

[ Gamora pulls away at the choking sound, legitimately concerned.

And then he's... giggling. ]

... Are you all right?

[ Admittedly, laughter is probably a better alternative to his body's other reactions now, but she fails to see the joke. She half-wonders if he might have actually lost it. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[He rolls onto his knees as she pulls away, holding his stomach as he continues to laugh, entirely unable to calm himself. ]

You--You said-- [Each word punctuated by a gasp and a fresh peal of laughter-- ] Wet!

[godslay]

[ Ah, so he really is insane.

(Because why else would "wet" be funny?)

All the same, she rests a hand on his shoulder, letting him laugh as much as he needs to, because that's potentially better than sobbing his eyes out – though Gamora finds she's just as much at a loss with uncontrollable laughter as she is with crying. ]

... Peter, if I get you some water, will you drink that?

[ Considering how much he cried already, it might not be the worst idea.

And... maybe it will stop the laughing. Or he'll inhale it, but she's hoping for the former. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

Water! [He gasps the word, his chest heaving, the laughter actually getting painful-- ] Is wet!

[godslay]

[ Gamora wrinkles her nose a bit. ]

Yes, water is wet.

[ She squeezes his shoulder, tugging gently. ]

Can you sit up?

[legendary_outlaw]

[He tries, he really does. He takes a couple of deep, shaking breaths and straightens. But then he catches sight of her face, remembers the mental images he's just been having, and doubles over again, holding his stomach. ]

[godslay]

[ Somehow, this is still exactly what Gamora expects from Peter – and it's almost easier to find the absurdity amidst the weight of the day.

She doesn't laugh with him, but there's a quirk of a smile on her lips as she gives his shoulder another squeeze before she pulls away. ]

Stay there.

[ Though she realizes she probably shouldn't be too concerned with Peter getting up and disappearing.

She doesn't go far, only back out to the captain's quarters where she'd spotted (what she hopes to be) unopened bottles of water. Given how much the Ravagers drink, she wasn't surprised there was water available – which was probably more of a necessity when they were required to be functional at times.

(Don't work, don't eat.) ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[His laughter dries up immediately when she leaves the room, oddly enough along with the tears. Now all he feels is a fresh, overwhelming sense of loss and he sinks to the ground again, this time on his side as he curls up as small as possible. ]

[godslay]

[ Gamora pauses in the other room, startled by the sudden silence, but it makes her that much quicker when she scoops up a bottle of water.

Bringing it back to the bathroom, her chest tightens when she sees Peter on the floor. She returns to his side, kneeling down again and reaching to brush hair away from his face. ]

Peter.

[ Soft, trying to coax him to look at her. ]

Peter, I'm still here.

[legendary_outlaw]

[He looks up at her tentatively, feeling both weak and utterly exposed, though he doesn't think he's ever been so glad to see anyone in his life. He leans into her hand, searching her face for judgment, and exhaling when he finds none. He's still not happy about her seeing this, but it's also not like he has much choice. He absolutely does not want to be alone right now. ]

Sorry. Sorry. That was--dumb.

[godslay]

[ Gamora shakes her head, dismissing the apology – though not unkindly.

She settles, making herself comfortable on the floor, then tugs gently at his shoulder. ]

Here. Just— move a little.

[ She tries to direct him, not to sit up or adjust much, but to let him rest his head in her lap, instead of on the steel deck. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[He lets her move him, then curls into her again, hugging her legs as he presses his face against her hip. ]

Dizzy.

[The word comes out muffled into the fabric of her shirt, and he only half hopes she understood. ]

[godslay]

[ Enhanced hearing serves her well, apparently, because she manages to pick out "—izzy," and she can fill in the blank herself.

Her fingers find his hair, and she leans slightly over him, almost protective as she strokes back messy curls. ]

Just breathe for me.

[legendary_outlaw]

[He takes a deeper breath immediately, willing to follow any instruction she gives in this moment. He feels drunk with exhaustion, with grief, and with the overwhelming relief he feels at having her here, at her touch. ]

Anything for you.

[godslay]

[ Gamora maintains that contact, unwilling to pull away from him. ]

Then I want you to drink some water in a few moments.

[ But first, breathing. ]

[legendary_outlaw]

[He nods. It sounds simple, the way she says it. He can do this, he tells himself. ]

Okay. Okay, yeah.

[More breaths, in and out, getting easier. ]

[godslay]

[ She can hear his breathing leveling out, slow and steady, and she keeps stroking his hair, keeps leaning over him. ]

Do you think you can sit up?

[legendary_outlaw]

[He takes stock, decides that he probably can, though he doesn't want to. Still, he can hear the concern in her voice, has come back to himself enough that he doesn't want to be unfair to her. ]

Yeah. Just--gotta go slow.

[He does just that, still keeping as much contact with her as possible, the room lurching dangerously around him as he moves. ]

[godslay]

[ Gamora maintains a firm grip on Peter, helping him sit up and staying in contact as much as she can before reaching for the bottle of water she brought along. She unscrews the cap, offering it to him. ]

Take a few sips of this, and you can lie down again. Or we can move to the bed.