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cptn-m · 3 months

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One Piece chapter 1104 review

If you want evidence of how in-focus Kuma and his family have been in recent months, look at the list of recent chapter titles. Bonney, Kuma (as himself, "daddy," "Kumachi" and describing himself as a pacifist) and Ginny are mentioned in every title since chapter 1096. Characters in chapter titles is by no means a new thing, but so many who are so closely related in so many back to back chapters feels like an outlier.

Kuma opens the chapter with a punch that's well worth the wait, counting both the post-New Years days off and the long flashback build-up to this moment. It's beautifully composed and drawn as well, full of dynamic speed lines that fully emphasise the impact and with incredibly clean panelling that doesn't let anyone or anything distract from a moment that had to be all Kuma's. This is chapter two of 2024 and it's already guaranteed to be a frontrunner for best panel/spread of the year. One thing I'm not seeing much discussion about is the panel on the bottom right, where we see Saturn's eye narrow into a glare even as his face folds around Kuma's fist. Where many are saying Saturn won't be that much of a powerhouse, relying on regeneration rather than defence and durability, this moment of defiance shows that Saturn knows how to take a punch without losing his focus.

Lucky for us, it's an incredibly strong punch that sends him flying even if it doesn't fully break his concentration.

The Marines' lines emphasising the horror of a slave, at the very bottom of the pecking order, attacking a man at the "pinnacle of the world" makes me think of the Emperor Card game in the excellent Kaiji - in which the emperor dominates the citizen cards, who themselves look down at the slave card. But played right, the slave can be the most powerful card in the game, as it has nothing to lose, and can attack the otherwise immune emperor. For a moment here too, the slave stands taller than any free man. Also Kaiji is something everyone should watch because it's great.

The self-destruct reveal is a bit weak. It's not quite the copout I feared when Vegapunk pitched a personality switch in the flashback, but it still feels a little unearned for Vegapunk to have just fooled Saturn so easily after he said he'd check. I wonder if a translation difference could have set the right expectation for how this played out - something like "killswitch" instead of "self-destruct," so that it could be interpreted as as either a killing mechanism for Kuma or an emergency shutdown on a machine, turning Vegapunk's move into more of a semantic deception rather than an outright lie told to the audience.

The hug with Bonney isn't as dramatic as the punch, but it's just as earned and just as cathartic. Like when she debriefed with Vegapunk after the flashback, Bonney becomes a little girl again to emphasise her vulnerability in the moment. It's simple, but it takes the father-daughter reunion to the next level.

Love the visceral detail of Saturn's regeneration. If I had any faith in the anime it's something I'd be excited to see in motion because you could do some cool, messed up things with it. His powers are still hard to pin down. Even with his body full restored, the paralysis has worn off for the main characters and it's not clear what steps it will take from Saturn to set it up again. I did enjoy Sanji and Franky getting to casually land hits on him now that Kuma and Bonney have set the precedent.

Borsalino continues to be an enigma. I'm falling on the side of him holding back and giving the crew breathing room when he can get away with it, then fighting seriously when his boss's eyes are on him. I think he knew, from Kuma's punch, that there'd be no going back and no slipping out of this one anymore, and the line about darker glasses at the end is a very telling piece of dialogue for the character. I kinda wish the illustration packed it up a bit more though. That would have been a good time to reveal some genuine sadness in his eyes, but he retains his trademark neutrality all the way through.

With the advent of the Buster Call, there's no chance of this arc not being in its endgame. The question is, how are we going to distinguish this arc from the last time the Strawhats faced one of these? Perhaps we'll see them mount more of a defence and push back instead of wrapping up their fights and fleeing the burning island. Or maybe the presence of Saturn and Borsalino alone is meant to be this one's defining features.

I'm setting my hopes high for the next few months. Egghead has been on so many levels a breath of fresh air after Wano, and now it just needs to stick the landing to cement its place among the series' best. After proving he's still got it in the flashback department, I've got a lot of faith in Oda to bring this one full circle.

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#One Piece #OP1104 #One Piece 1104 #One Piece spoilers #bartholomew kuma #jewelry bonney #manga review #one piece manga #egghead #op spoilers

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spicymayo1983 · 3 years

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Hiya. More Poe Dameron smut and fluff for everyone to enjoy. You and Poe both live on the rebellion base on D'qar.

I've always imagined that Poe would be excited about becoming a father, regardless of the circumstances, and be a loving and supportive partner.

For some reason the idea of fertile Poe is sexy to me. Lol. Having a bunch of cute, curly haired space babies.

You are a member of the black squadron and a respected X wing pilot in your own right. You've made some stupid decisions in your lifetime but never any like this one.

After a few too many drinks you ended up enjoying a steamy, completely unprotected one night stand with Poe Dameron.

And now you're pregnant with his child. How will you cope raising a baby with a man you barely know?

Warnings, unprotected sex, some angst, breeding kink, not for anyone under 18.

You're not afraid to admit it. You are a different woman altogether when you've been drinking.

But even for you, the mess you're in is something even you couldn't have predicted.

Now all you have are memories, regret, and a positive pregnancy test. You stare at that little stick with the two lines on it and the memories flood back, you can't help but smile a little.

Six weeks earlier.....

It's your best friend Yasmela's birthday. You and the rest of the black squadron are celebrating with adult beverages abound in a cantina located on the rebellion base D'qar.

The leader of the black squadron, Poe Dameron, who's also a bit tipsy, has been eyeing you all night.

Okay, the two of you have been exchanging mutual flirty glances. You haven't been entirely innocent, it's hard to ignore anyone, but especially someone as gorgeous as him, when it's obvious that he's checking you out.

"Well do you like what you see?" Poe asks, laughing a little, attempting to break the ice.

"What would make you think that?" You reply, giggling a little.

Poe notices the flushing of your cheeks, brought on by a combination of drinking too much and the situation currently at hand.

"Ohhhhh I'm making you nervous". Poe continues, slurring his words a little. "You're normally such a quiet girl, y/n, I barely know you because you won't talk to hardly anyone".

"I'm a simple woman devoted to defeating the first order". You reply, smiling a little.

"So am I, but I believe in letting loose every once in awhile". Poe teases as he brushes back his dark, curly hair from his face.

"So you're also a simple woman?" You reply, bursting into laughter.

Soon both of you are laughing uncontrollably. So much so that you have tears in your eyes.

"No, I wasn't the last time I checked". Poe continued, his laughter calming a little. "What I meant was that I'm also devoted to bringing down the first order but I like to have fun from time to time".

"Come on, dance with me". Poe asks, a devilish smile appearing on his face. "Let's have some fun".

You soon find yourself stumbling along to a latin cha cha cha dance that he's way better at, even intoxicated, than you.

You fall down laughing at one point and he scoops you up immediately. Even when you are sober you have two left feet and your dance moves are less than elegant.

The room is spinning, you feel like you're going to puke, but you're having a blast with your handsome companion.

"I think I need to sit down". You tell him, struggling to stop yourself from throwing up.

Poe helps you get safely to a nearby chair and table, once you are seated he fetches you a glass of water.

"Thank you". You reply, smiling gratefully and slowly sipping the cool water. "I know it's still a little early but I think I need to get home and sleep this off".

"That's okay, but let me walk you home". Poe tells you, helping you stand up again.

On the way back to your quarters the two of you realize that he lives much closer so it would be in your best interest to crash on his couch for the night.

Once at his place Poe gets you another glass of water, you are sobering up and no longer feel sick.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" You ask, quickly downing the refreshing beverage.

"I might not know you that well, on a personal level".

He explains, removing his boots. "But you're a brave pilot, you were there when the starkiller was destroyed, I take care of people I respect".

His words of praise shock you a little. They mean so much, especially coming from someone like him. Your face immediately turns bright red, Poe leans over, kisses you on the lips and says,

"And one of the most beautiful women I've seen".

Without another word exchanged you continue kissing, you gaze into his beautiful dark eyes and silently beg him to continue, to go beyond those delicious kisses.

Poe picks up on your silent cues and hungrily unbuttons your shirt. He manages to quickly unsnap your bra, revealing your breasts and erect nipples.

You can see an impressive looking bulge forming in his pants as he buries his face between them, you sigh in delight as you lose yourself to pleasure and take in the scent of his soft, curly hair.

Your panties are practically drenched by the time Poe starts to tenderly kiss and nibble on your neck, his hands wander between your legs and you gasp in anticipation.

He unzips your pants and helps you out of them, you are indeed soaking wet, his hand slides between your legs again and teasingly strokes you over your underwear.

You haven't trimmed in quite awhile so you have a decent bush growing. He doesn't seem to mind, though, Poe actually seems to enjoy the look and feel of it.

"Take your clothes off now". You demand, laughing a little. "I feel weird being the only naked one".

Poe obliges and strips down for you. Revealing a tan, trim and athletic body. Strong without being over the top. He's hung, and thick, with a nice patch of dark hair.

The two of you decide to move things into the bedroom. He immediately spreads your legs wide and starts to massage your clit as he inserts two fingers inside of you.

As Poe keeps his fingers inside of you he begins to suck and gently nibble on your throbbing clit, with a low whimper you cum for him, squirting in the process.

With your legs still spread Poe enters you, you easily accommodate him because you are still extremely wet.

"Oh creator you are so wet, and so tight". Poe moans as he penetrates you. "You feel amazing".

Both of you were still tipsy and had neglected to ask about birth control. Even though you weren't on anything you assumed he was.

He's a gentle lover, he teases you by sliding his entire length in, and then all the way out again.

As you are impaled on his body you squirm and cum with Poe deep inside of you. Your own orgasms trigger his own release, but you are gripped onto him too tight and he can't pull out in time.

He cums inside of you, the warm sensation is unfamiliar because you have never let anyone inside of your body unprotected.

"That felt amazing". Poe confesses as he passionately kisses you and pulls his soft cock out of your body. "I'm sorry about the mess, I really tried to pull out".

"Don't worry about it". You tell him with a nervous laugh.

He gets you a towel and helps you clean up, soon after he rolls over and falls asleep.

Well, you thought he was asleep.....

"Can I put my arm around you?" Poe whispers softly.

"Sure, go ahead". You reply, smiling a little.

The two of you fall asleep spooning, he's the little spoon with his arm wrapped around you, with his face resting on your back.

The entire experience feels very warm, intimate and tender. You're a little surprised by how soft and affectionate Poe is.

The next morning both of you wake up with horrible hangovers. Poe gets up and cooks a simple breakfast of waffles and toast, not only is he the best pilot in the resistance but he's also an excellent cook.

You are enjoying your meal despite the awkward silence that has suddenly developed between the two of you.

You've crawled back into that shell that adult beverages had liberated you from temporarily.

Despite the fact that you enjoyed yourself the previous night you still feel ashamed and somewhat dirty from the encounter.

You've never done anything like that before with anyone, let alone the leader of the squadron.

What was everyone else going to say if they found out?

"Your secret is safe with me". Poe assures you, leaning over and kissing you on the forehead. "I won't kiss and tell".

"I've just never done anything like that before". You tell him, smiling weakly. "When I'm drunk I'm a different woman".

"If you feel like I took advantage of you I'm truly sorry". Poe continues, his smile fading. "I just got carried away in the moment".

"Oh no, I wanted it to happen". You reply quickly, your weak smile coming back. "And it was magical, you were very respectful and it felt great".

With those parting words you get dressed and walk home. You bump into your friend, birthday girl Yasmela, in the hangar later that afternoon when you are doing routine maintenance on your X wing.

"Everyone saw you leave the party with Poe". Yasmela teases, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Tell me every raunchy detail".

"Poe walked me home, I passed out on my sofa, the end". You lie, your face getting slightly flushed from anger.

"Salemm saw you doing the walk of shame this morning". Yasmela continues, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes.

"Just fucking stop it! Okay!" You snap, displaying a rare flash of anger. "Absolutely nothing happened between us! End of story".

Yasmela looks slightly taken aback by your outburst. But she soon smiles and says,

"Okaaaay, y/n, I get it, I'll be leaving now".

Your friend slinks off into the crowded, noisy hangar. You know for a fact that she doesn't believe you, and that she will do her best to find out what truly happened.

Flash forward back to six weeks after your encounter with Poe. After experiencing sore breasts, morning sickness and terrible mood swings you reluctantly take a home pregnancy test and discover that it's indeed positive.

You're terrified, and you have no idea how your secret can be kept now.

End of part 1

#poe dameron #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron smut #star wars #star wars smut #poe dameron x you #poe dameron imagine

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woozletania · 7 years

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Sanctuary, part 2 (full chapter - RR/GOTG slice of life)

Rocket slowly gets used to having another Uplift on board, 96L02 gets a real name, and Rocket makes a catastrophic error that may ruin everything.

"Man, you work fast." Rocket looked up from his plate of eggs and sausage. He'd wanted to head up to the cockpit - he knew he'd left that panel a mess when he got distracted by Doc Foster's letter and it made his fingers itch to leave something half put together like that - but the others insisted he have at least another full day off to recover. "Whattaya mean? I haven't worked on anything today. Just woke up and came out to breakfast." "Really? I looked in the cabin today and you and Lima were," Pete grinned and made some gestures Rocket couldn't scope out except to guess that they were rude. "Wasn't like that," Rocket growled. "She was having a nightmare and I was just tryin' to calm her down. Fell asleep afterward, I guess." "You sure buddy? It sure looked like you two were-" "I am Groot!" Peter looked up to see Rocket's ears go back and the fangs come out. Groot grabbed Rocket just in time to keep the raccoon from coming across the table at him. "Joke! Joke!" Peter backed away as Rocket snarled. "I didn't mean anything by it buddy!" Groot still had his vines around Rocket, who struggled with all his might despite his injuries. "If you think 'I just rescued this poor little thing, got to jump in bed with her' then I'm not the 'monster' here, Pete!" "That's enough!" Gamora literally put her foot down, stomping the deck plates hard enough that everyone jumped. "Rocket, Peter was just being stupid. Peter, apologize." "Sorry man," Peter said. "I wasn't thinking. You know me, I say stupid things." Rocket, panting, finally settled down, one hand pressed against his chest. He still hadn't fully recovered from the gas. "Yeah, well, don't. She's not a 'thing.' Not a toy. Don't call her one. Don't think of her as one either." Lima ('We really do need to find her a better name, Rocket thought') poked her head shyly into the common area, drawn by the shouting and the smell of food. Mantis served her a plate of eggs and stood there stroking the yellow creature's head as she ate, smiling at the way Lima pushed back against her palm. It didn't seem to bother Lima at all to be petted unlike Rocket, who until very recently would snap at anyone who touched him. "What were you fighting about," she said, and Rocket grumbled. "Nothin'. Pete and I fight all time 'bout all sortsa crap." "What I want to know is why pick an otter to Uplift," Peter said, his mouth full of eggs. "What's an otter," Lima said, and Rocket growled. "Probably some stupid thing he thinks you are." "Look Rock, I know you don't like being compared to animals, but we gotta have a species for you, right? You may not be one but you look exactly like a raccoon and you," Pete pointed his fork at Lima, "You're an otter. Kind of a big water weasel." Though 'big' was relative, as she was about as heavy as Rocket if a little longer. "I like 'otter,' Lima chirped. "It sounds funny." "You need to pick a name," Gamora said, and Rocket nodded. "We can't keep calling you part of your number." "Ottah," Pete said, to which Rocket immediately snapped "No!" "Rocket is named after the men he killed to get free," Drax said with a typical lack of tact. "You didn't kill anyone, so you can't do that." "Was there anyone at the compound you 'liked?'" Surprisingly it was Mantis who asked. "There was one," Lima said, and for the first time she looked sad. "She snuck me pills when I couldn't sleep after the operations." Though Rocket had just tried to attack Peter, Pete still put his hand on the raccoon's shoulder when he saw Rocket grit his teeth and look away. "It's OK, man." "But they caught her," Lima said, looking down at her plate. "I never saw her again. Her name was Lilla." "Lylla," Drax said. He didn't quite have it right, but close. "I like it." "I do too," Peter said. "Rocket?" "I told you, it's not our decision. What do you think," he said to the otter. "Lylla? If I had gotten out another way I might have named myself after the nice one. It's up to you, though." "Lylla," said the otter. "I like it too. I'm Lylla!" She beamed, and only Rocket didn't match her smile. He had his reasons. "Okay, Lylla," Rocket said a moment later. "Speaking of nice guys. I want you to meet a friend of mine soon. He's a doctor." And just like that all the joy vanished from Lylla's face, replaced by horror. "No," she said, dropping her plate. "No, no, no." She fell to all fours and scurried back towards her room. From the back you could see the shaved areas, the implants, the scars, though they weren't as bad as Rocket's had been. The raccoon was right after her on all fours as well. "Lylla! Let me explain!" "Wait, Peter," Gamora said. "Give him a minute. He's the one who knows why she is afraid." "We all know why she's afraid," Drax said. "But he's the one who lived that life," Gamora said, and Peter reluctantly sat back down. "I am Groot?" "He's in my cabin with our guest," Peter said as the three-foot-high tree tree arrived. He didn't really understand Groot yet but he at least knew the tree was looking for Rocket. "She's really upset and he went to talk to her." "I am Groot!" "Wait, Groot," but it was too late. The tree was already hot after his friend. By the time Rocket reached the cabin Lylla had burrowed into the nest of blankets she'd pulled into the padded pet bed. All that showed was a shivering yellow tailtip and Rocket pulled up short, sure she'd snap at him if he climbed in too. He would. "Lylla, listen," he said, settling down cross-legged a pace away. "No one's going to make you see a doctor if you don't want. It's your choice. Everything's your choice now." A whiskery muzzle appeared out of the blankets, and Rocket winced to see the tears in her eyes. "Really, Rocket?" "Yeah. I should've explained..." "I am Groot." Rocket smiled as a vine came to rest on his shoulder. "It's all right, buddy. Lylla's just scared. I was scared too, remember." "I am Groot!" "Yeah. Lylla, a while back my back was messed up. Cybernetics problems, scars, infection. It hurt all the time but I'm scared of doctors, same as you are." The whiskery face visible under the blanket nodded. "Because they hurt us. They make us into things they want us to be, not what we want to be," she chirped. "When they made me, I hated them so much," Rocket said, and his muzzle dipped until he was looking at the floor, not Lylla. "They cut me open and tortured me to train me. I wanted to kill them all. But there was one who wasn't cruel. He brought me pills to take away the pain." Slowly the otter's head rose up out of the covers as she listened. "I started to save them. Hid them. I counted them every day. Soon I'd have enough to make the pain go away forever." "Oh Rocket," she said, tears running down her cheeks. "Me too." He sniffled. He was too emotional these days. Teared up too easily. "But then I got out. I'm a monster, Lylla. A killer. I try to change, to be good, but they made me to kill. And that's what I did. I killed my way out. Except for the one nice doctor." Finally he met her gaze, his eyes as wet as hers. "Him I couldn't kill. He's why I am...only a little bit monster. If it weren't for him I would have killed and killed and killed. Instead I'm a Guardian of the Galaxy." "I am Groot," the tree behind him said, and grew more vines to support Rocket. The raccoon was still weak, still recovering. "When the other Guardians found out how bad my back was they made me see someone. I picked the guy who kept me sane. That's who I want you to see, Lylla. I can hear your pain when you move. I know they messed you up. Doc Foster can help. He's the guy who brought me the pills. He's the reason I'm here instead of dead or crazy." "I don't know, Rocket..." "I'll be there, Lylla. We'll all be there. He won't hurt you, he's my friend, but if he does, if anyone hurts you...I try to be good, Lylla. But if anyone hurts my friends, hurts you, I'll be a monster again." "Yeah," came a voice from the doorway as Peter leaned in for a moment. "We'll all be monsters if someone hurts our friends." The other Guardians nodded from the hall. "I am Groot," Groot said. "What did he say," Lylla chirped. "That he'd do anything for his friends," Rocket said, and put his hand on the vine draped across his shoulder. "And he would. He has." "All right," Lylla said, unknowingly echoing Rocket, a few months back. "As long as you're there." "Good." Rocket nodded. "You wanna go have some more breakfast? You hardly ate at all." "I just want to rest," she chirped, and burrowed back under the blankets. "They never let me just lie around like this. I'll eat later." "Okay." Rocket climbed to his feet using Groot for support. His leg still hurt, oddly worse than the neck bite that almost killed him. And his chest, though that was slowly getting better. A voice came from under the blankets. "Please don't go, Rocket. I was so afraid last night, with all this metal around, like a cage. Then I woke up and you were there. Having you there made me feel so safe." "Well, I'm supposed to be resting too I guess," Rocket said doubtfully, and then he protested as Groot picked him up. "Hey, you don't need to carry me, dummy. I'm not that hurt." But Groot didn't listen, easing him into the padded bed with the otter, and there was a confusion of slow movements as she emerged from beneath the covers and curled around him. Rocket was so warm, and comfortable, and safe, that the protests just drained out of him. "Thank you, Rocket," she chirped into his ear, and Rocket thought, 'Ain't not thing like me, 'cept me. Except maybe there is, now. Or close enough.' ***** They woke a few hours later, curled together in the round padded bed. Rocket twitched awake at the unfamiliar sensation of someone sleepily grooming his nape. For a moment he went stiff with panic, then slowly relaxed. The fabric of the bed was thick with his scent, and now, that of Lylla as well. It was good to wake and not be alone. It wasn't like the many times he'd woken in a pile of sleeping bodies in prison. Those bodies didn't smell or feel good. Lylla did. Peter didn't know that one reason he took so easily to what he knew was a bed made for an animal was that snuggling into it brought back vague memories of warm fur and safety. When he could smell himself on it he knew that it was -his- bed, his safe place to sleep. Now there was another scent on the fabric as well, and for the first time it wasn't some bald sweaty creature's. It was a scent he liked. But he had work to do. Rocket crawled from the bed, tugging off his ship-tunic for a new one. (He liked being surrounded by a cloud of his own scent. The other Guardians weren't so fond of the idea.) Lylla shifted uneasily in a bed, missing the warm presence of another body, and an implant stood out for a moment from the dense fur of her shoulder. The covers moved enough that some of the shaved areas on her back were exposed and Rocket snapped his fingers. He knew he'd forgotten something and after a brief trip down the hall he was back with his C-bag, or what he called the pouch with most of his cybernetics tools. Somewhere in the ship Peter was playing his music and Rocket hummed along to the familiar tune as he sorted his tools. Shallow scanner, deep scanner, three sizes of input plugs (he had a port on his back for the middle one for diagnostics, Lylla had one at the back of her neck that looked like the larger size). Diagnostic unit, phase comparator, various wrenches, magnetic grapple for remotely aligning servos. Replacement parts if he needed them, including the ones he'd scavenged in the complex where he found Lylla. There was a certain compulsion to get them all perfectly arranged before he started to work that he couldn't explain. They had to be aligned just so, and after all he would know where to reach for one if he got them all set up ahead of time, right? That was why though he had no intention of using them, he still had out the cutting tools and scalpels when Lylla woke up. She blinked awake and the first thing she saw was a glittering array of tools, knives and blades. With a terrified squeak she was out from under the blankets so fast they hovered in the air and disappeared through the door. Rocket was left staring at the empty bed before he slapped a hand on his forehead. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid." And then he was out the door on all fours as well, calling after her. "Lylla! Wait, I'm sorry, I can explain!" Drax paused in his leisurely trip down the hall as Rocket shot between his legs. He stood still for a moment to make sure he didn't step on the ringed tail whistling past and shrugged. "Uplifts." Rocket followed Lylla's scent until he found her backed under one of the common area bunks, shivering with fear and snarling at him as he approached. Mantis peeked in from the doorway but just stood there, letting the two of them work it out. He started by apologizing again. "Lylla, I'm sorry. I've been planning to look at your implants so I can send some scans ahead to Doc Foster. I wasn't going to do anything until you were awake and only with your permission. I was just sorting my tools, okay? I was just going to scan you. No scalpels." "I saw them," she growled. "I saw them." "They weren't for you! I just had them out to sort them. I sometimes use them, but it's on me or Gamora. I swear, I'll never touch you unless you let me." It took ten more minutes to finally talk her out of her hidey-hole, and then only because he promised to put the tools away. When he got back from doing that he found she'd made her way to galley and that Mantis and Peter had set the table for a late breakfast. Lylla wouldn't look at him and Rocket sat awkwardly across the table, only eating a few bites though he was hungry. Lylla on the other hand dug into reheated eggs and sausage. She was clearly evolved from a carnivore and quickly cleaned her plate with her sharp fangs. By the time she finished licking her long whiskers Mantis served her a second helping. Like Rocket, though, she was much smaller than the rest of the crew and even if he ate as much as she did, two hungry Uplifts ate less between them than Drax did at one sitting. Rocket's wrist beeped and he checked the time. "Gotta call the doc. Be back in a bit." Lylla nodded and kept eating, but as soon as the raccoon headed up the stairs she turned to Mantis. "Do you trust Rocket?" Mantis tilted her head like an inquisitive Uplift. "Of course I do. Why?" Lylla just shrugged and went back to eating as up in the cockpit, Rocket ran into Peter. "Two days in a row I'm chasing her around trying to apologize," Rocket grumbled. "Get used to it, pal." What's that supposed to mean?" Peter smiled. "Women, y'know?" Rocket just flicked an ear and tapped controls to open a connection. "Hello, this is Doctor Foster's office," said the voice at the other end. "So turns out Nova Corps sent all the other Uplifts from the compound to Doc Foster too," he said to the Guardians (and Lylla) a little later. "I put in a good word for him and he's happy for the business but there isn't a slot in his schedule for Lylla until next week." Lylla still wouldn't talk to him and half an hour later Peter found him sewing blankets. Rocket scrounged up some older ones from the ship's stores and had rolled and stitched two up into long narrow cylinders. Peter watched him as he started to sew one into a tight spiral. Eventually he figured out what he was seeing. "Making another bed?" "Yeah," Rocket said, continuing the spiral with the second blanket. Soon enough he was working on the raised rim around the central spiral pad. "I don't wanna leave Lylla alone but I don't know if she wants to share a bed now. I was real dumb earlier. Now she doesn't trust me." "Let me tell you man, I've been there.". Rocket had several high-tech devices for sewing but at the moment he was doing it the old fashioned way, with needle and thread. "I didn't know you knew how to sew." "'Course I do. Gotta work on my armor, they don't make sets my size. And shirts, stuff I wear 'cos you complain when I walk around naked. Sometimes you gotta hand pack explosives and sew cases around 'em and you can make pretty good garrotes out of cloth." "What's a garrote?" "Strangling cord. You know, gik!" Rocket mimed being strangled. "When would you need one of those?" "Don't ask questions you don't wanna know the answers to, Pete." A few hours earlier Lylla stuck to Rocket like a second tail but now she avoided him. Instead she was never more than a step from Mantis, which didn't bother the empath at all. She stroked Lylla's spine as they talked. "Why is he so angry all the time?" "He isn't," the empath said. "He's much better now than when I first met him. The first time I tried to pet him he bit me." "And I think," she went on, "That except for Groot, everyone Rocket met before he knew us hurt him in one way or another. Being around people just means there are more ways for him to get hurt, so he's...angry. If people are afraid of him, maybe they won't hurt him." "I am Groot," said the tree, arriving as though summoned by his name. "Yes, he's brave," the otter said. "Because he has to be?" Mantis's antennae twitched. "You can understand him?" "A little," the otter said. "More as I hear him. Linguist!". She smiled and touched her head. It would have been cute had the lines of operation scars not stood out on her skull when her fingers flattened the fur. One deck up Rocket's ear twitched as he thought he heard his name. Peter had left and he could make his second call of the day, the one the other Guardians didn't need to know about. "It's really you," said the man in the yellow prison jumpsuit on the screen. "89P13." "Subject Eight-Nine-Papa-One-three does not report for duty, asshole," Rocket growled, though an involuntary twitch ran through his body as he said it. Even now the compulsion to spring to attention was hard to resist. "Listen close," he said. "'Cause you only get to hear this once. You're going to get out of jail pretty soon. Good lawyers, lots of money, and some dead guys you can scapegoat. Good for you. When you get out, I'll be watching. You touch another animal, I don't care what for...I was nice when I came in. Most of you guys survived. But we only got about half the Uplifts out. So next time I won't be nice. And I'll take my time with you, personally. Don't make me come looking for you, Doctor Zek." With that he cut the connection. His contacts in Nova Corps had only given him a private channel for a few minutes anyway. Grumpy and bored, a combination his crew mates had learned to fear, he fetched his B bag (general maintenance) and crawled halfway into a control console to finish repairs he'd started two days before. He was still sore but he had to get back to work sometime. It was fortunate that his hands knew what to do even when his mind was elsewhere, because he was distracted. 'How could I have been so stupid? Of course she'd panic if she saw surgical tools.' He was just starting to get used to having her around and maybe, maybe just a little, starting to like her. But he'd never been in the situation of treating a fellow Uplift. Gamora and Nebula knew what cyborg maintenance entailed. Lylla only knew that seeing tools like that meant pain. "Stupid," Rocket growled, and bashed a wrench against a component that was usefully both frangible and expendable. 'Maybe I'm getting soft.' He'd gotten along just fine without another Uplift on board, and she wasn't likely to stay long anyway, right? Get on with his life, that was the thing to do. Just think about work, money, booze. No need to think about the nice-smelling otter he'd shared a bed with these last two nights. And so that night when he showed Lylla the other bed and proposed they sleep side by side, not together, he wasn't too disappointed when she nodded. That was what he told himself, anyway. 'At least I can smell her,' Rocket thought, then quickly quashed that thought. He slept badly.

#Rocket Raccoon #Guardians of the Galaxy #lylla otter #Drax The Destroyer #Star-Lord #gamora #Groot

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woozletania · 7 years

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Sanctuary, part 2 (RR/GOTG slice of life)

(Actually about half S2, but this is what I have ready at the moment. The full version will be done when it’s done. You really have to read the first one to understand why an otter is on board the Milano and why everyone calls her Lima at first.)

#Guardians of the Galaxy #Rocket Raccoon #Groot #Star-Lord #gamora #Drax The Destroyer #mantis #lylla otter

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