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[ Peter heaves out a massive sigh, letting his hands drop to his lap. ]

Why doesn't he want you to know any of this?

[He clears his throat, glancing aside.]

Well, I... I don't actually... know if he doesn't want me to know any of it...

... I don't even know if he knows all of this, it's just... a, a, a feeling. Is all. Just covering my bases here, really.

[.........

Also real answer Peter is assuming things right out of the gate, because he is too scared to ask Tony.]

Edited 2018-06-24 02:45 (UTC)

[ Isn't it weird, how a beat of silence can feel so disbelieving?

Because that's what's happening right now. Incredulous silence.

Then, ]

... Have you even asked?

[..................................]

N-no. I have... n't...

[for fucks sake]

[ Peter drags both hands down his face. Again. ]

Oh my god.

[ Pure, concentrated exasperation. Little Pete's probably lucky there's nothing for Big Pete to throw at him, right now.

He screws his eyes shut for a second, his fingers pressing against the bridge of his nose. (He can feel a headache coming on, which is probably a sign that he needs to choke down a couple more painkillers soon. Or maybe it's a result of this conversation going in weird circles? Either way.) ]

Ask him.

[He looks like he would rather face plant a building.]

What, just... ring him up and ask if he's ran into a big overlord alien that wants to wipe half of everything out yet?

Uh. Yes.

[ Obviously. Why is this even a question???? ]

Maybe he already knows everything. Maybe he doesn't, in which case, you can pull your punches.

But if he does know everything, what's it really gonna change if he finds out that you know at least a little of what happens, too?

I don't know? Maybe a little?

... I'm not supposed to be involved in that kind of stuff. Stay low to the ground, and all that. And space is definitely not... low to any ground. It's space. I kinda got into some trouble when I got involved in stuff I wasn't supposed to be in.

[... But he is starting to see just how ridiculous it is, to try and skirt around the topic with Mr. Stark. Because as much as he doesn't want to cause any trouble and keep his nose out of Tony's own situation, he's recognizing more and more that maybe they're just too intertwined to pretend it's a separate thing at all.

He breathes out, looking a little worried.]

... I guess you're right. I should... I will. At some point. Talk to him about it.

I'll ask, okay?

... After everything here's settled down, though, and he's had time to get back to the usual.

Edited (when u typo after you edit something in to fix a sentence gj me) 2018-06-24 04:09 (UTC)

[ Peter frowns for a second, studying the kid. ]

... Okay, then. That works.

[ He still sounds at least a little skeptical, though. It's 100% hypocritical of him, admittedly, to press the kid into talking things out, considering Peter has a tendency to avoid difficult conversations when he can. Maybe that's why he doesn't entirely believe Pete when he says he'll talk it through with Stark?

But, well. That's not really his business, and even if he feels like he should probably press the kid so he's a little more certain about the whole thing, it's not really his place. ]

Just so we're clear, if he asks me what I know, I'm not gonna lie to him. [ Peter Quill? Not lie?

Hell is freezing over. ]

But I'm not gonna go and find him to tell him what we talked about.

... Fair enough. I shouldn't go behind his back.

[He thins his lips as he looks at Peter, a little worried about the whole thing. And maybe a little stressed. But just, like. A touch. It's his own fault, really. And now that he's really thinking on it, wasn't this all the kind of thing Tony was pissed off at him before for? Going behind his back? Ugh. He sucks.]

... Sorry I asked you to lie, though. That was kinda a dick move.

[ Peter waves a hand dismissively. ]

Don't worry about it. I don't actually care about lying.

[ Unless someone is lying to him, in which case, he totally cares. But otherwise, there was a long while where his primary job with the Ravagers was to lie through his teeth, to play conman for them.

He's not bad at it, either, when he really sets his mind to it. ]

I just don't want Stark beating my face in for letting the cat out of the bag.

[He looks incredulously at him.]

You think — Dude, it's not like he's my caretaker or something; he'd probably choke on his coffee if you even implied that kinda thing. He just keeps an eye out to make sure I'm not blowing up half of New York.

And he definitely wouldn't beat you up over it. It'd all be on me.

[As far as Peter knows, Mr. Stark just sort of checks in from time to time. And takes his suit when he screws up (which, okay, he knows that was fair). He's more used to dealing with Happy more than anything, and — and you know. He's just not someone Mr. Stark has to trouble himself with.

That's one reason he's been kinda worried about bringing up the future. Because obviously, he must have snuck through the radar and gotten involved without Mr. Stark's want. There's no way he would have let him go into outer space for Avengers-style fights, right? Unless... maybe he becomes an Avenger by then?

Oh man. That's a thought.

Dude.]

[ Peter's expression pinches, and he gives a defensive sorta shrug. ]

How am I supposed to know all that? I mean, you talk about him, like, all the time. I figured he was, like, your Mr. Miyagi or something.

I mean, not exactly. I was doing this hero stuff before I met him.

[He crosses his legs, looking pretty thoughtful, actually.]

But he's helped me a lot, and he was a big deal to me growing up, I guess... and he still is. I owe him, like, more than I can probably pay back ever. [He smiles a little brightly.] I don't think he knows, but he actually saved me from a crazy murderous robot once when I was about... nine or ten? It was awesome.

[ Peter's about to say, "That doesn't sound awesome," except he abruptly remembers a time when he was about twelve, when Yondu had sent his arrow whizzing through the heads of about a half-dozen security bots bearing down on Peter.

... that had been pretty goddamn cool, too.

So, wisely, Peter decides to keep his comment to himself. What he says instead is, ]

What the hell has been happening on Earth since I've been gone?

... Oh, y'know. Stuff. I dunno, maybe I just have bad luck?

Just a month ago my almost-girlfriend's dad ended up being a bad guy that I had to fight on a plane full of superhero gear, and we crashed on a beach and duked it out. That was pretty... scary, actually.

It's way scarier when you're older and smarter.

Oh.

[ Startled, like the word is punched out of him. ]

Um. I can see how that'd be a lot to process.

Kinda? I got dragged into a whole 'nother universe through some portal—

[He fans his arms out around, just. Here. This whole place. You know what he means.]

— so at least I've got bigger things to freak out about.

It did suck, though. And I got stabbed by stupid metal bird talons, all because somebody wanted a scary bird motif. But I saved the guy from burning alive. So that's — that's good.

[ He huffs out a breath, something approaching a laugh. The whole being stuck in another dimension thing is... well, it's not old hat, exactly, but it's a fact he's kind of gotten used to, by now. A year in this place will do that to a guy.

(It also suddenly occurs to him that his one year anniversary on this stupid moon is probably drawing close. Weird.)

So in answer to that, at least: ] You get used to it.

[ As for everything else, though, Peter offers a sympathetic sort of look – not that he can offer much more than that, anyway. ]

You said he was your almost-girlfriend's dad?

Yeaaaah. He tried to drop me in a lake and then almost killed me on a ferry.

Weapons dealer kinda guy. But he was dealing weapons made with Chitauri technology.

[He blows a breath out, exasperated.]

Next thing I know, he's answering the door on the night of the home-coming dance. [He holds up his hands, a dejected sort of waggle to them, mimicking Toomes' voice with little success.] "You must be Peter, Liz's told me all about you."

By the end of the night, the guy was dropping buildings on me.

[He missed the dance, Peter. He rushed right out of homecoming to get nearly murdered by a man in a robo-bird suit. You know, one of those days?]

[ peter's never been asked to a school dance way to rub it in

... but that's mostly because he was taken from Earth at eight years old, so he never got the high school experience.

Anyway. ]

I'm guessing that might've soured the relationship between you and this Liz girl.

Edited 2018-06-24 09:52 (UTC)

Yeah... She ended up moving out of the state right after that. So she didn't have to deal with all the court stuff that her dad would be going through.

[He seems a little less flippant about it now — well, he really wasn't flippant about it before either, not really. He's one of those types to combat his feelings by making quips and taking the piss out of things. But...

He tips his chin to lean on his fist.]

Honestly, I still kind of feel like crap about the whole thing. I know the guy was a jerk who needed to be stopped, because what he was doing was dangerous and wrong and all that, but I kinda'... helped ruin her family. She's so awesome, and she didn't deserve any of that.

[ Peter's quiet for a second, then, ]

I mean, honestly? That sounds like it's more on her dad than it was on you.

Yeaaaah, I know... I know it wasn't all on me... I wish there was something I could've done for her. I guess dragging her dad outta there was something? I don't know. I still feel bad that I had to run off on her at homecoming to fight him.

[A pause.]

But I'm guessing that's all pretty small fry stuff for the Guardians, though.

[Oh!]

How'd you and your girlfriend meet, anyway? Kinda cool that you're doing this hero gig as a couple.

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