penistower | And you could have it all

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And you could have it all - My empire of dirt.

Rhodey is distracting the government types long enough for Tony to hack into the airspace and make sure none of this is being recorded. He loops the moments before the Milano pierces the atmosphere and plays them back, knowing by the time he's out of the system and they figure it out they won't be able to prove it was anything but a technical malfunction. He does all of this from his phone as he stands near the landing pad with Steve flanking his side. He's trying to do things right this time -- no more lone gunslinger act, as Pepper had phrased it.

He looks over his sunglasses at the spaceship as it decompresses, wondering who he's just invited over for dinner. Hopefully they're friendly... When the platform descends it really is just like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He can't help but geek out a little. He'd technically met space aliens before, and Asgardians, etc. but somehow this is way cooler. "Welcome to Earth and please watch your step, we don't have liability insurance yet."

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Rocket is supposed to be keeping everyone busy on the ship, but after what happened on Ego Peter wasn't about to risk leaving them alone. So he fully expects them to crash the party at some point, but at least they can try to meet with these Avenger guys in peace... at first. He should probably warn them that they have super terrifying people/creatures on board, but, hey. Yolo.

Peter glances over at Gamora before taking in their welcoming committee. He recognizes the first guy's voice from his transmission, but the other guy is like Arnold Schwartzenegger on steroids. Seriously, even in his Dad clothes the guy looks carved out of stone. But otherwise, this place seems... normal. If way higher tech than he remembers.

"They call me Starlord," he begins in a serious voice, affecting it a bit deeper before he can catch himself. He swaggers his way down the platform with one hand in his belt buckle and generally trying to exude bad hombre vibes. Is it working?? "This is my spaceship, obviously... and my--my partner, Gamora. We are the Guardians of the Galaxy. Well, two of them. We're the good at talking ones."

Gamora takes this all in with open suspicion. She knows better than anyone how her 'father' gets to people. She wouldn't be surprised if he outsourced the problem of the Guardians to one of his little pawns. The fact that she knows Terra was a target of invasion, but not the full results doesn't help. She can't know how many of them he turned.

As a result, Gamora doesn't have to play tough. She looks around the area and at both Steve and Tony. The look she gives them both is withering. "Allow me to get to the point. If this is a trap, you had better spring it now if you want a prayer of surviving our wrath. I promise the rest of our team will not hesitate to crush any ally of Thanos where they stand."

Yep, that guy is every bit as goofy as he sounded on the phone. And "Gamora" is... strangely gorgeous in that Amazonian chick who will murder you horrifically way. At least it's familiar enough to deal with. "Starlord" alludes to the rest of their team being close by, which the Avengers are too, so this is a bit of a stand off isn't it? He shoots a glance sideways to make sure Steve is still breathing. Poor guy.

Tony steps forward a little, holding up his hands in a way he hopes is non-threatening. "We're the good guys, promise. We heard about how you saved the galaxy -- twice. Pretty cool stuff. We tend to just work globally." He spins his finger around to signify the planet. Then he peels off his shades in that high drama way he has. "No trap, we want that goon dead as much as you guys." There Steve he's being serious!! Well, as serious as Tony Stark gets really.

When Peter starts them off, Steve thinks it'll finally go alright. Sure, this guy is a total goof. He's increasingly sure that his partner is 90% of the reason why they saved the galaxy twice. That's fine. He's sure he must put up a decent fight when it counts even if he doesn't play a tough guy pretty well.

Then Gamora speaks and he just looks tired in response. If he has to fight people who could be his allies for the millionth time, he's moving to the Barton farm. Fuck this already. The look he gives Tony pretty much says as much. He rather live on a farm than go through this again.

Tony comes through for him though so he relaxes. This woman, Gamora, seems less inclined to cut off their heads now. He reaches out to squeeze his friend's shoulder in gratitude before moving properly to his side again. The only way he knows how to get past this kind of defense is honesty. He lays out their motivation plainly.

"We lost a lot of innocent people when he had someone invade us the first time. We're not going to give him a chance to do it again to us or anyone else. Enough is enough." They're taking a stand. This is mostly due to Tony's proactiveness, but still. He'd feel a lot better about it if the team was bigger considering what damage Thanos' army did when only commanded by a lackey. When someone considers a trickster god a lackey, he knows they're serious business.

Yeah... his Starlord schtick never goes so good, but this seems like an especially tough crowd. And then Gamora does her thing and he's not sure whether to laugh or cry. He gets why she's so on edge, but he knows it's his job to smooth it over with his fellow Earthlings... preferably without them knowing he is one of them. Stat. At least they're getting credit for being heroes!!! For a change.

Peter continues down the ramp and steps off the landing pad so he can stand level with their new friends. Once Gamora does the same, the Milano will pull the platform back up so hopefully they won't get an immediate interruption by the children on board. He can't help but throw a look towards the ship all the same. He can only hope they aren't killing each other or destroying shit by now. "Thanks, man. We haven't heard of you at all." He smiles blandly at both of them. Of course, they hadn't heard of anything on Earth, including the invasion. It makes him feel guilty even if he had no way of knowing, so he's glossing over it.

The giant guy seems really sincere actually, but so had Ego. Or maybe that had just been his own wishful thinking -- even in retrospect, it's hard to pick out the moment everything went bad. "Look, we wanna believe you, but... we've been burned before." He tips his head, getting the feeling like they aren't the only ones. If they're all this paranoid then... maybe everything is fine, actually. At least for the moment. "Nobody's killing anybody... so long as we can work together on this." Peter gives Gamora a look -- hoping she'll respect his decision at least enough not to argue in front of these guys. They've gotten pretty expert at the nonverbal communication thing.

They certainly know how to say the right things. Coupled with Peter's hesitation to kill them, she's inclined to show some trust. Gamora tilts her head just enough to show she agrees to support him. Peter will need that to keep the others from jumping to paranoid conclusions too.

There is something that's troubled her. The blond's speech highlights what it is. "There's one thing I must know before we move forward." She looks around to confirm what she already knows. These people are alive and thriving. They are trying to get ahead of Thanos appearing in person.

Her eyes and tone soften. She desperately needs to know how this came to be. "How did your people survive? No planet has ever been able to successfully resist Thanos' plans before. What was different about Terra?"

They seem to have diffused the situation for now so Tony puts his hands down, taking a steadying breath. His diplomacy skills might be rusty, but he can tell how eager these people are to eliminate the threat. This isn't about Earth or whatever planet the Guardians hail from -- this is about this galaxy and theirs and the entire universe, to use an antiquated term. If Thanos is able to collect all the infinity stones, it won't matter what they've done, especially not if they turn on each other. He's working seamlessly with Wanda of all people now, he can handle some space guys.

"Well, technically, it's because I flew a missile into a wormhole so he wouldn't level the Eastern seaboard." Now that they all know what that was really about shit got real fast. And surprise surprise, the military's been no help re: aliens. He knows that gets Steve as much as it does him. Tony crosses his arms across his chest and shakes his head. "It's not going to happen because we're not going to let it. Not to Earth or any other planet. My partner said it best: Enough is enough." He flicks his eyes over to Cap, a smile concealed somewhere behind them only the other man will be able to pick up on.

He returns that look, smiling back in his way. Steve needs to back up Tony's side of this which is the only reason he unburies himself from Tony's eyes. He really does appreciate that partner title as Tony knows. "The people in charge decided they rather bomb a city and then some than let this guy continue his invasion. Thanks to my partner, the only thing that got burned to a crisp is the army he sent after us. We managed to shut the door they used reach our planet after that."

His eyes soften. He gets the burden of proof is on them. The galaxy isn't talking about what the Avengers did. The Guardians' reputation makes it clear whose side they are on. All Steve can do is try to convince them they are worthy allies.

"We can't count on any of the governments on Earth to do the right thing. They already proved they rather have us all burn than let someone else win. If you're willing to give us a chance, I know we can win this together. I'm not saying no one else will die, but we can keep the casualties to as minimum as it gets when the entire galaxy is at stake. We will help you save any other planet that's in the line of fire right now. Just please give us a chance to prove we're on the right side of history before it's too late." He thinks there won't be a history if Thanos got his way. That scares him to his bones.

The more he hears, the more legit these guys seem. But he still has to be wary, right? He's the captain, he has to watch out for all of his charges. Gamora and he both do -- he glances over at her with a slightly lost expression, looking for guidance but also just support. He needs her now more than ever. Peter bites the inside of his lip and looks back at Steve, slowly nodding. "I would've left out the casualty death stuff, but that was a pretty good speech." He kind of reminds Peter of the Nova Corps guys and it makes him smile, just a ghostly barely-there thing.

"Alright, we're ready to hear you out. How can you help us? We have to make sure you're not just going to be deadweight." He lifts his eyebrows for emphasis, though the whole time it feels disingenuous. He's just a regular human like them after all. Well at least like the smaller guy, he hasn't figured Steve out yet. "No offense."

Gamora give him a look that communicates he said the right thing. They know of their deeds, but these Avengers are a mystery. The burden of proof is on them. She privately agrees they do seem to be making a strong first impression. Considering how useful Peter has been as a leader, faults and all, she's willing to accept these people could be help too. It certainly helps they accomplished something not even her people could. As much as it hurts to admit that even privately, the people of Terra must be formidable to do so much.

"We have enough allies." She points out despite knowing there's no such thing against Thanos. Even so she wants to add onto the pressure.

No offense. Tony snorts and shakes his head. Who is this guy? It's kind of hilarious. When Gamora speaks up again, it's expected. She's the stoic angry one to complement Peter's inanity. He supposes they have a similar dynamic going on on the other side of the table. "Come inside, I'll show you what we can do." He flashes Gamora a look even as he gestures for them to come on back to HQ. Standing in the open like this is making him nervous anyway, so he doesn't wait for them to follow to start heading that way. "And no offense, but if that were true you wouldn't be here. We've been training for this." It's up to Steve to bring it home because he's getting impatient, obviously.

Edited 2017-07-30 11:52 (UTC)

The look he gives Peter after both stern and gentle. He gets the guy is probably making a joke, but this also happens to be one of the things Steve takes very seriously. "I served my country during the bloodiest conflict in human history. I couldn't forget the realities of war if I tried." He lets Tony take it away. It's relieved that he's getting them moving. Sure he's impatient, but the less time they waste testing each other, the better. He follows after Tony, going over the team data. While it's fairly anonymous, he sees no reason to hide their strengths from the Guardians otherwise.

"The Avengers is a team of the best our world has to offer. My partner is a genius which doesn't sound like much until you factor in he was smart enough to use the stupidity of the leadership on Earth to end the invasion. He's responsible for most of the prep work we've done for this. I feel the work you'll see in here will speak to his value better than anything else I can say." In other words, the building and its contents are his. Be suitably impressed that one guy has done this and more.

"As for the rest of us, we have a master marksman, the greatest spy on Earth whose most of the reason we were able to get that door shut, an enhanced assassin, a prince of Asgard who wields thunder, a young woman whose power comes from one of the infinity stones, a being who wields it on a daily basis, a guy who turns into a close to invincible monster when he gets angry and spends his calm time as another incredibly valuable genius, a career soldier wielding a weapon he made-" He cants his head to indicate Tony. "We've got a flying soldier who got his start in pararescue which makes him both one of the toughest soldiers on Earth and an expert at getting people out of hot spots alive, a man who can change sizes and is another genius we can count on. He has a partner of his own who can change size, fly, and is generally better than him. We don't employ her yet, but she's the daughter of two of Earth's greatest heroes so we can count on her to join us the second things get really bad. We've also got a kid trainee, but due to his age we're not getting him involved in this until it's absolutely necessary. He's another genius with super strength and the ability to stick to walls. Way more valuable than you'd think." The sticking to walls and genius part. They've got a ton of smart people on their side. If that's not impressive, he doesn't know what is. These are the people who are going to make sure everyone lives or rather as close to that as it gets.

"That's about everyone. We've always got a support staff in place as you can see. Best in every one of their respective fields. They're another reason we were able to end invasion and grow as strong as we have. And- I totally forgot to tell you what I do, huh?" Steve actually looks a little embarrassed. He's been so caught up in making sure everyone's value is represented that he never got to himself. He doesn't really have a great one liner for himself either.

"I don't know how much you two know about human aging, but I've been around longer than most. I'm close to a hundred years old." He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. God he hates talking about himself. "I'm another enhanced soldier. I served in the war I mentioned earlier as a captain. I provide strategy, leadership, and this generally isn't my first time doing this. Thanos is actually my second megalomaniac wielding infinity stones. I was able to defeat first one with the right team fighting alongside me. That's my main value. I know how to beat guys like this and save as many as I can while doing it. I'm a lot better at this now than I was in my 20s." That's all he has to offer as far as he goes. "There are more forces to draw on, but I can already promise you they'll only be interested in helping if the fight is on Earth so consider this our main offer. Everyone mentioned we can call on for support anywhere and at any time."

Peter doesn't hesitate to follow them, pretty confident they're not walking into a trap. He does throw a last glance to Gamora though just to make sure he's not reading something wrong. He takes in the space greedily as he walks in, soaking in the clean, white walls and big projector screens. It's like every Scifi movie he ever saw as a kid and he's clearly enjoying just looking around for a moment. It looks like Star Trek finally came to fruition. "Can I..." Touch everything? Good, because he's going to without waiting for an answer. The people and their stats flash across the screen as Steve describes them, clearly orchastrated by said genius dude. Tony Stark... Wasn't there a big tower in New York with his name on it? He wonders if there's any relation.

Steve's still going, and he's getting intrigued. The Guardians are just a few misfits, what he's describing is a real army, each one more impressive than the last. He listens with rapt attention, finally standing still in the middle of the room as Steve comes to describe himself. Peter remembers vividly how his grandfather would tell him about the veterans. That it wasn't their fault the way they were. The words come to his lips automatically, ingrained in him before he can stop them. "Thanks for your service." You can take the Midwestern boy out of the cornfield... and lightyears away, but he still respects what Steve is about. The guy is an American hero and icon. He's starting to get the picture finally. And he feels like they are seriously going to underwhelm these guys when they find out who the Guardians of the Galaxy really are.

He clears his throat, remembering himself. He's not from here, not anymore. He shouldn't have said that. "That's a lot of geniuses." They have... none. So there's that. Each of them is something of a specialist, but they range from the average-high intelligence of Rocket and Gamora to dumb as rocks like Drax and Mantis. He sighs at the mention of Spiderman, though he seems cool. There's no nifty image for him, probably because he's not one of the team officially. "We have a teenager too." He says it in the weary voice of a parent, still trying to absorb all of the information being flung at him.

"This is all... super radical, man. Honestly." He's having trouble finding fault with any of it. It's when his spirits finally start to elevate -- they might have a real change against Thanos. And to think, Nebula almost went out to get killed by herself. Now she can be part of this. They all can. He swallows.

"Everyone... all these people who work for you, they get the stakes, right?" At least some of them will die. They've accepted that, and Steve gave the speech! Peter knows. But he can only take fully informed, willing participants in this. It's not going to be pretty.

Gamora confirms he's correct with a glance, but keeps a hand on her sword all the same. She didn't make it this far by being willing to trust easily. The longer this presentation goes on, the clearer it is they are exactly what they say. This is a group of people who survived Thanos' attention and spent every day after preparing for his return. It is clear the intel the Asgardian prince gave Thanos was deeply biased to make them look like small and stupid creatures. Typical of Asgardians, she supposes. They never see past their own perceived greatness.

At least here the people of Terra seem fairly advanced. The sight of two beings able to wield the mind gem's powers make her eyes widen. It took four of them to use the power gem once. Here are two who use the mind gem with ease. It starting to fall into place how these people survived and how valuable they will be. In a way, it's a blessing that they know of the Guardians. It'd be difficult to sell them on their team by comparison.

She shoots a warning glance at Peter at the mention of service. She doesn't know for sure, but that sounds awful lot like a phrase particular to Terra. Now isn't the time to open that door. Gamora points to one of the images, hoping it will act as a distraction and as an honest question. It's still hard to believe such a being exists much less on Terra.

"This one, Vision, understands Thanos will be coming for him directly? His death is all, but guaranteed unless you've done something to prevent the removal of the mind gem from his body." Even if that didn't kill him, she suspects Thanos would do it simply because he could do such a thing. "The girl too. He will find her ability to draw on the power of the mind gem a great threat. Perhaps even greater than the one this Vision poses." Who knows what contact with the rest of the gems would do to her? It's fascinating to consider. Gamora almost wonders if the reason Peter held onto the power gem for so long was because of his Terran heritage and not celestial. They're clearly more than anyone could have bargained for.

Tony watches them carefully, uncharacteristically silent as all of this is going down. He scrolls through images and statistics all for their benefit and sits on the backburner while Steve runs down the list. It really is impressive when it's said all at once that way, and Tony is grateful to him for saying it all -- especially the parts about himself, he knows that's the hardest part for Steve, seeing his own worth and defending it to others. He has to smile at the mention of teenagers, Peter Parker had proven himself a worthy recruit. But if he can keep him out of this... he'd rather. Maybe they should keep out the other kid, too. Little does he know he's a giant tree monster, but hey. He doesn't judge. Much.

He opens his mouth to answer Starlord's question when Gamora interrupts him. He wonders if they're together, he's getting vibes. His mouth clicks shut at the mention of Vision. It isn't something he likes talking about, but if they play their cards right Vision could mean the difference between losing and winning the battle ahead. It doesn't make it any easier. "Everyone's been sworn in. They know what's on the line." He meets Peter's eyes first and then Gamora's. There's something in them that's dangerous, but serene. "There are multiple fail-safes in place if Thanos should gain control of Vision. The infinity stone basically becomes a nuke at that point." Which he realizes isn't really any better than their first scenario, but he also can't be sure Vision won't unequip his protocols. He was very annoying that way. He's not about to say any of this to the Guardians of course.

"Scarlet Witch is our greatest asset. We'll protect her with everything we have." Even without their personal history... Tony would say it. He's not about to let anything happen to her, not after how far they've come.

His brows lift in surprise. He knows that line delivery anywhere. This guy is from Earth. Maybe the son or grandson of a veteran or at least raised in a community where veterans were highly valued. He nods respectfully like all the soldiers from his generation do and leaves it there for now.

Steve has similar misgivings up the child on the other team. Given Peter's tone and the remorseful look his partner has at the mention of a teenager, it isn't hard to figure out who the parents are. If they feel their child can handle this, who is he to stop them? He nods to show he agrees with Tony's explanation on both counts.

"They both know the stakes. We're just as prepared to defend them as they are to use their power to fight for all of us." His gaze settles on Peter knowingly. He makes a point to ignore the way Gamora's eyes narrow in response. He's starting to get those couple vibes too. She'd probably cut him in half if she thought for one second he was a threat to this guy.

"You're from Earth, aren't you?"

He had known the second it left his lips that it was wrong, and Gamora's look seals it. It was just automatic, and he thinks about his grandfather... knowing there's no chance he's alive but suddenly wanting to know anyway. They're probably not even close to wherever he's buried and it doesn't matter, he knows it shouldn't. But after burying the last family member he had (or shooting him out an airlock heroically, okay) it feels significant. The way Steve nods gracefully lets him know that even if he gave something of himself away, at least it was appreciated.

They really should talk about Groot -- and Rocket. They're asking all these questions when they're the ones carrying the real liabilities here. Everyone on their team seems cohesive. They're a bunch of rejects. He loves his mismatched family for that, but it makes them less than desireable on paper. Little does he know it's the same thing people once said about the Avengers. They're in good company really.

Peter's eyes flick over at the question, afraid to look at Gamora this time. He wants to tell him. He wants to trust all of them, and practically lay himself at their feet. He's so tired. It's so hard being the adult -- he never thought it would be this hard. "Missouri," he confirms after a long pause, it feels so strange to say out loud. He still doesn't feel like he's really back, mostly because everything is so... the same. Things are the same everywhere, really, and he knows that. But seeing it when half of him expected Earth to stay in some perfect stasis until he returned is hard to take. "I haven't been back since I left. 1989." This guy's been alive a long time, that at least he knows will mean something to him.

Edited (when you do math and then ignore your own math bc youre tired) 2017-07-30 23:26 (UTC)

It is fair question to ask. Gamora still raises her guard up further. She can practically feel the vulnerability radiating from Peter. As usual, she tries to compensate for it while also fixing what caused it to begin with. Peter must be thinking of home; the one he shared with his mother. She knows she has to handle this if only for that fraction of a chance that these people will pounce now that there's blood in the water.

Her eyes settle on Tony. She already knows this man will have the means to give them what Peter needs. She makes sure to catch Steve's eyes as well. They both seem like men who don't obsess over formalities, but she still catches herself going out of her way to show proper respect when necessary. One doesn't abandon their survival skills so easily.

Gamora folds her arms behind her back and takes charge of the situation coolly. "We will work with you to defeat Thanos. I only ask that in return you give us every bit of information you have on those bearing the name Quill from Missouri, a means to contact them, and transportation. I assume these things are insignificant to you, but if it becomes a burden I will see to your compensation myself. Do we have a deal?" It's a clean and simple solution to the problem. If he wants to see his birthplace, she'll see to it happens. If he wants to know what became of the relations to his mother and himself, she can make that happen too. She can do it while not letting these people see just how fragile he really is when it comes to this subject.

Edited 2017-07-31 01:34 (UTC)

Well, that took a turn. It makes a lot of sense, though. Maybe not the logistics of it, but Starlord's demeanor and all of that weird posturing at the start. Leave it to Steve to soften him up in no time at all. But then Gamora is demanding more stuff from him, and honestly... he's too tired to say no. At least they're simple asks.

"Anything you guys need while you're planetside, I've got you covered." He gives them a thumbs-up because that has to be universal, right??? He smiles sweetly at Gamora. "Are you from Missouri too?" God, she's scary. If he weren't nearly a married man this would be a much different conversation honestly.

He waves a hand to dismiss his own silliness and finally puts his phone away, pushing his sunglasses back into his hair to quit being the rude tech guy. "In all seriousness, when do we get to meet the rest of the crew?"

Edited (where the fuck did that apostrophe come from ) 2017-07-31 01:47 (UTC)

Steve's gaze soften further. He's very sympathetic to Peter's situation to the surprise of no one who knows him. Judging by how quick his partner is to barter, she's pretty aware of how badly he needs to make the same connections that Steve once did. Honestly he would have offered if Gamora hadn't beaten him to the punch.

"Thank you for being willing to come back." He doesn't know what kept Peter away and he doesn't need to know. Steve can at least express his gratitude and try to make this a little easier on the other guy. "If you're ready to reconnect with someone, he'll make it happen. We can probably send you on your way in a half hour tops if that's what you want." Emphasis on want. He gets the hesitation. Maybe he'll explain it to Peter one day. This is still a formal meeting so he can't really get into his tragic backstory right about now.

Steve sighs, knowing it can't be helped. They have to get back to business. "But, we do need some more information on your people. It'd help if you let us meet them unless you have a tech guy with great presentation skills." He's thinking not though or else they'd already be here.

He looks over his shoulder at Gamora, scared and grateful at once. She didn't have to do that for him, but she knows he wouldn't have asked himself. Peter wishes he could reach out for her now, but he reluctantly turns back to Steve when he's addressed again. "That's okay, this is more important." And it is. He could have come back to Earth any time, but he never did. He has to live with that, but now his planet needs him, and he's not going to turn his back on them anymore. "Besides, there's no one left for me to reconnect with." Which isn't to say he doesn't want to go back... but he doesn't trust himself now. He wants to show Gamora and the rest of the team his hometown. It can wait until they kick Thanos to the curb. He smiles at the thank you belatedly. "And you're welcome." Hopefully he can make a difference without any powers or enhancements like all these guys seem to have.

And here comes the hard part... trying to lay out their people in a way that doesn't seem completely insane. He takes a breath, trying to regroup and get his head to stop spinning. "I'm surprised they haven't ambushed us yet, honestly. They're probably casing the joint as we speak." Like, actually. Not a joke. Peter levels Tony with a look because that guy seems like he gets things like this. "Gamora can go get Drax and Rocket." He turns his gaze on her once more, nodding that she should probably track them down before actual bad shit starts happening. They listen to her better than him, usually. And God knows where Nebula is, he's trying to avoid having to explain that for as long as he possibly can.

She's honestly surprised it's this easy. They're really going to cave into her demands like this? Gamora knows better than to ask this aloud. Peter has been taken care of. That's really all that matters. (Tony's silliness gets ignored. She's not here for jokes.)

Now that the burden of proof is back on them, Gamora barely fights back the urge to sigh. It is about time for the children to get up to their usual tricks. She can only hope they haven't broken something yet. She nods in response. She'll handle the worst of the kids.

"I'll return shortly," is all she has to say for herself before turning on her heel to walk fairly quickly out. After all this she really doubts Peter will be in danger with these people. If she's wrong, Nebula is definitely hiding somewhere. She'll step in if only for the sake of her sister.

Tony shrugs, not caring much either way if Peter takes a trip to Missouri or not. He can tell Steve feels for the guy, but they all have their origin stories, right? "If you change your mind, let us know." And yes, it really is that easy. He provides everything and anything whenever it's needed. "Just think of me as... the official waterboy of the Avengers." It's a lot more than that, but it suits him just the same. Between this facility, SI and all of his resources between, he's offering that to the Guardians along with this deal. That was always what he intended to do.

His eyebrows climb a little higher at the mention of two others, but not the rest. Maybe that's all they can do right now, though he thinks they've done their part in this whole diplomacy set. He throws a look Steve's way when Gamora goes to track down their friends. This is ridiculously entertaining, or is that just them. He looks back at Peter once she's out of eyeshot. "You guys need your own reality show. Stat."

He nods to show he accepts Peter's decision. Does he agree with it? Obviously not. He lost out on valuable Peggy time because he assumed she was dead at first too. Steve knows this isn't the time or place for advice. It's better spent shooting Tony a look for undervaluing himself. He's telling Peggy later.

Then the show starts. Steve barely resists the urge to laugh. This is the early days of the Avengers all over again. He gives a little nod to say yes this is a little entertaining. Not helped by the fact one of them (Rocket) is clearly yelling about how he hasn't done anything yet. He's guessing that excuse isn't going well for him because it gets quiet after that for everyone who doesn't have enhanced hearing.

"They seem....fun." He informs Peter as he waits for them to come back. He's already making a mental note to keep Bruce and Thor away from these two at all costs.

The waterboy... Peter doesn't get a chance to respond because Rocket is pitching a fit about not being included and being treated like a child... Why does Quill get all the facetime with humans? It doesn't matter that he's from Earth. On and on and on. Drax is just laughing. Peter hates when he laughs like that because once he gets started there's zero way to stop him... Unless they get Mantis. But that could just be adding fuel to the fire. He should have stun-gunned them all and been done with it, had a cool presentation like this Tony guy.

"They might seem... unruly, but they'll come through when it counts." He doesn't have any stats other than saving the world twice and he doesn't have anything fancier than his word. He has to grimace when the screaming starts up again. God, this is mortifying. "...Is there anything valuable and super easy to steal in this room? Hide it, if there is." He mimes zipping his lip and throwing away the key just as Gamora comes in with their charges. He said nothing!!

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