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OPEN POST;
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① Pick a character ② Pick a prompt (or DIY) (shamelessly and selectively pilfered from ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small} bakerstreet's Random Scenario Meme)③ Do the thing!. table code by betterdolphin | |
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① Pick a character ② Pick a prompt (or DIY) (shamelessly and selectively pilfered from bakerstreet's Random Scenario Meme)③ Do the thing!. table code by betterdolphin | |
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I mean, it's a trial, sometimes, lettin' you bum around, but we've all come to accept it.
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[ She lets her smile linger for a moment longer, before it fades into something more subdued and she tightens her hold on Peter's hand. Because she doesn't want to ignore how he's still upset over what happened--and at her--and if it does turn out that they won't have much more time together, Kasumi would hate for things to remain this way. ]
Hey. I'm sorry I made you worry, Peter. I just--my hands were tied. I should have let you know when it was over and that I was alright. But trust me, if anything were to really happen to me, you would be the first to know. I promise.
[ She's got all sorts of things she's set up, after all, to let him and Shep know if she ever needed backup, or was badly injured, or being hunted down, or worse. ]
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It's pretty. It reminds him of the yearly meteor showers back home (Perseus? Perseids? something like that). Mom would check in the paper for when the meteor shower would be at its peak; she always sent him to bed with a promise to wake him, but Peter was too excited to sleep, would bolt out of bed the second she opened the door. Every year they would go into their backyard and lie in the grass, staring up and watching as the meteors disintegrated in the sky, bursting to life and disappearing as they went.
"I met your father durin' a meteor shower," she told him once. It caught his attention immediately, but she said no more on the subject. She never did tell him much about him, except that the man was a good person, that he glowed with the brightest light. When he was really young, he took it literally, imagined him to be an angel. As he got older, he started thinking that she was just being poetic, but now, he's not so sure.
(He hasn't told Kasumi that he's half-human, half-who-the-fuck-knows. It still doesn't feel real enough to admit it aloud. He wonders if she'd care.)
Eventually he turns to her, smiling a little. ]
It's-- fine.
[ Well, it's not really, but hey, at least she gets why he's kind of pissed. And he knows he doesn't sound particularly convincing, so he sighs, starts leading her to an open patch of grass. ]
C'mon. No idea how long the shower will last.
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Kasumi just nods, letting him lead her to the spot of grass, and now it's her turn to be distracted from the shower because she's not sure what he wants her to do, what she can do to make things better.
Unlike Peter, Kasumi's never truly sat down to watch a meteor shower like this. She'd lived in big cities where this sort of activity was basically impossible, even when she lived on Earth, and she hardly took the time to find meteor showers the times she was on remote colonies or planets for jobs. (She did come to gain more of an appreciation for stargazing when she was on the Normandy and found herself restless at night, though.)
So it's a little unfortunate that she isn't paying much attention to the meteor shower anymore, at least in thought; her head is tilted up, and her eyes are directed towards the sky, but it's not really registering at the moment. But she can at least pretend that she's paying attention. ]
Yeah. Let's just... try to relax and enjoy this.
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He's often accused of never having a single thought in his head. The truth is, his mind is often abuzz with activity, flitting from one idea to the next. It's become worse since he became de facto leader of the Guardians, worse still since his brief, unhappy reunion with the Ravagers. Because now he worries constantly, second guesses himself, thinks about how best to keep his newfound friends safe and unharmed.
It was easier when it was just him. It was so much easier when his mistakes meant only his neck was on the line, and none of these amazing, talented dudes who made the mistake of following his lead. Sometimes he envies Yondu's ability to detach himself. The man's a bastard, but he was a good leader.
(In the early days, he wondered if this whole-- team thing was a good idea. He had buried those thoughts after a few jobs well done, but now they're starting to resurface.)
He flops back on the grass, hands folded behind his head and ankles crossed; he looks relaxed, but he's always been a good actor. The meteors continue burning through the sky, flaring to life and fading out just as quickly; for a few moments, he just watches them, feels a twinge of something that makes him wish he were on Earth again. ]
You ever wish on stars, Goto?
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At his question, she smiles a little to herself. She's a romantic; when she was younger, she used to look up at the skies on Earth and wish she could see what all was out there, even though she loved Earth to bits. It has always been in her nature, after all, to want more, and before she realized she could take things into her own hands (and quite literally so) she would merely wish on stars that were barely visible, on fallen eyelashes, on strips of paper during Tanabata.
(While Peter was gone, she often found herself staring up at the sky, stars or none, murmuring silent wishes--prayers, almost--that he was okay.) ]
Of course I have. Why, are you making some right now?
[ She turns her head sightly to see his face; hers offers a gentle smile. ]
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[ He's quiet for a second, then, ] Nah. I stopped makin' wishes on fallin' stars a long time ago.
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[ She looks back up at the sky, finally relaxing a little to be able to actually appreciate the way the meteors are darting across the starry sky. It was unlike anything she'd seen, before. ]
Anyway, maybe you can make an exception for tonight. Who knows when we'll see something like this again?
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[ But he wasn't lying; he gave up on wishes a long time ago. Four-leaf clovers, the first star in the sky, wishing wells, coins tossed into fountains, lucky pennies -- he tried all of that shit when he was a kid. Looked up any and every superstition he could think of to get more wishes. Pinned everything on those stupid hopes, and what did it get him?
Nothing. He still lost Mom, even lost his entire fucking family on the same day, once the Ravagers got a hold of him.
So Peter doesn't wish anymore. What's the point?
But that's not the kinda thing he wants to unload on anyone, much less Kasumi. She's got enough baggage to deal with, one of which already being a stupid, damaged boyfriend. ]
Still think it's kinda cheatin', though, all those shooting stars. That, and what could you possibly wish for? Pretty sure you could just steal anything you wanted.
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Hey, I can name a lot of things I would wish for. And I can't possibly steal anything I wanted. Unless it's true that I've actually stolen your heart?
[ Kasumi and her lame jokes at inappropriate moments. ]
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Pretty sure you can't steal what's been given, babe.
[ And then he turns back to look skyward. ]
Or. I gave you the decoy heart. Who knows?
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[ She flops back down on her back, scooting in a little closer. ]
It's okay. I'm well-aware that the Milano will always be the true thief of your heart. I'm fine with the decoy.
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If it's any consolation, the decoy is probably a lot better than the genuine article. It probably has, like, karate-chop action or something.
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[ She chuckles. ]
That does make me feel so much better, thanks.
[ She continues to look on at the meteor shower after that, and spaces out. Wishes, huh? If there's one thing she would wish for, at this moment, it could only be Peter's happiness. And that's something she definitely cannot steal, something she wants--for him--but there are times when she doubts whether she's the one who can give him that.
She really, really hopes that she is, though. ]
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And he thinks about Mom and Earth and feels that pang of nostalgia, bittersweet and aching. He thinks of every night between leaving Earth and now, how the sky was different every time he looked, how the stars rearranged every time he turned away. Every night there were new constellations, new configurations for him to stare at, and he felt so small.
He misses looking up and seeing the same sky, sometimes. He misses the stability. He misses knowing where to look for the Big Dipper or Orion's Belt. There were so few things in his life he could be sure of, and even that was taken from him. He could only trust himself -- because everyone and everything would change. Shift. Leave. Disappear.
And then those idiots burst into his life. And then the Collector made the mistake of thinking Kasumi Goto, best thief in the galaxy, needed back-up. And aside from a few hiccups along the way, they've stayed. They've stuck by him. And Kasumi's the biggest surprise of all; someone who slips from sight so easily but stays around with his stupid ass because-- she likes him, he guesses. Lord knows he's not exactly useful to her.
But that's not what it's about, is it? Sometimes he forgets that relationships aren't about equivalent exchange. Sometimes he forgets that people don't need a concrete reason to just-- stick around. He's never quite sure what it is that gets Kasumi to stay, but whatever it is? He's glad for it. He's glad she's here. Warm and alive and here.
His hand moves down to find hers, and he squeezes it, turns to catch her gaze. ]
Hey. [ His voice is quiet, small. Like he's not sure of his words or where he's going with this. ] Thanks for-- this. For-- being here.
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She would do that, and she stays because he's the greatest thing she's found in this galaxy since Keiji died, since the crew of the SR-2 was forced to split up. Because he gave her a reason to fight instead of throwing her hands up in the air and letting the Reapers take what they want and, as Peter might say, she's one of the idiots that lives in this galaxy--a galaxy that's worth saving if it meant she could be with him.
When she feels his hand take hold of hers, she gives it a squeeze back, looks into his eyes as he speaks, and finds herself affected by the way he speaks. ]
There's nowhere else I'd rather be, Peter.
[ She hopes he'll understand that she really does mean it, that even though she gets called away doesn't change the fact that she'd still rather stay with him. ]
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(aside from the good looks. rapier wit. winning personality.)
--but he appreciates it all the same.
Things'll settle, he tells himself. Or they'll settle as well as they can in a galaxy at war. He just needs to see this shit through for once. He wants to run from this weird coil of messy emotions that got knotted up while he was back on the Eclector, ignore it till it fades away, but-- that's not an option, not anymore. Not when people are looking to him to be there, trust him to stick around.
Stay. Wait. See it through. Kasumi did that for him, right? He can do that for her.
At this point the meteor shower seems to be ending; the meteors are appearing less and less frequently. Peter takes a deep breath. ]
Ready to head in?
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Wait--
[ She sits up and leans over to plant a quick kiss on his forehead. ]
Okay, now I'm ready to head in.
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He wasn't expecting the kiss, so she surprises a small smile out of him; he props himself up on his elbows. ]
What was that for?
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Do I need a reason? I just felt like it.
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I bet you broke something.
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I haven't broken anything except the hearts of lads and ladies across the galaxy.
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[ And she means more on his part than hers; not a lot of people even know she exists (much less know that she's involved with Star-Lord), but Peter is still a somewhat-celebrated hero in some parts of the galaxy, and a notorious troublemaker and casanova in others.
That doesn't really matter though, not right now. Her expression softens into a gentle one as she reaches with her free hand--the one that's not still holding Peter's--to touch his cheek, as she often does. It's a small act of affection, but to her, it's a way of showing Peter that she's here. It's always been that. And it's always been a way for her to ground herself, too, a way for her to make sure that he's here and this thing they have is--real. Maybe. Or at least, she hopes it is by now, after everything they've gone through together.
She lingers like that for a moment before she speaks again. ]
Sorry. I know we're supposed to be heading back in.
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So he reaches up, holds her hand there against his cheek, closes his eyes, and breathes. He tells himself things will be okay. He needs to work harder at normality, push down his stupid anxiety and fears, and everything else will fall back into place. ]
It's fine. I'll follow your lead.
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