Prompt: Peter takes you out on your first date back on Earth or Sequel to ITSR
Warnings: None
A/N: Alas, the long-awaited sequel to one of my most popular fics! Thanks to everyone for their patience and to @marquiis-de-la-baguette and @ashleygrrrl for beta-reading!
“I’m starting to think that Peter’s Zune isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.”
Peter Parker was currently in the process of reintroducing you to Earthen society after you returned to your home planet. Now that the galaxy was officially saved after Thanos was defeated at the Battle of Wakanda, the Guardians thought it might be good for you and your adopted brother to get reacquainted with the Earth. All the new culture and technology seemed foreign. Even your hometown was barely recognizable from the quaint neighborhood it used to be. It was now bustling with stores you’ve never heard of selling products you didn’t know how to use. According to Peter, it was being ‘gentrified’.
It was sweet that he was trying to reunite you with the world that you had lost touch with, but you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at how fast and different everything was. Getting to know space technology was simpler than this.
“Does…being in here make you feel better?” He asked.
You took off the bulky headphones you were wearing. Looking around, this store did feel a lot safer compared to the rest of the world. Not a lot of people were in, mostly because Peter said that you could find most songs on the internet now. Frankly, you preferred the physical music shop. It saddened you that what used to be around everywhere was now almost extinct. You were barely gone for a decade too…
“Thanks, Peter. I feel a lot less like an outsider in here.”
The little smile he gave you was enough to make your entire day. After hanging out in the shop for another half hour, Peter brought you to a small cafe for lunch. You noticed that every so often his hand would twitch in your direction.
After exiting the little music store, you walked side by side along the streets of Queens. As you strolled the concrete sidewalk, Peter’s hand couldn’t help but drift in the direction of yours’ every so often. He would brush a finger against your hand before reigning himself in. It would have gone on forever had you not taken his hand the fifth time he came near.
“Is this alright?” You ask after noticing the shocked expression on his face.
He nodded enthusiastically before clearing his throat. “Yeah! Uh- I mean it’s cool.”
“Cool,” you responded cheerily.
Conversation was light and simple. Smells of baked goods and different foods came pouring out of every other shop door. Peter pointed out all the good food in the stores you passed by, from deli meats to bubble teas.
It was halfway through your vermicelli bowl when the conversation shifted from life on Earth to traversing space. Peter was a science-y guy, you knew that much, but he had a lot of questions.
“How do you breathe up there? Do all aliens breathe oxygen too, or do you need different air masks for each planet? How do you buy things in space? Is there like a pilot school for spaceships or do you get it like you buy cars?”
To you, these experiences were nothing new, but Peter saw a whole new galaxy unravel from just your subpar descriptions. The joy in his eyes endeared you even more to him. After taking a good look at all the other humans around you, it was safe to say that you were lucky to have met the cutest one on Titan.
“How old were you when you went into space?”
You almost choked on your last bite. You rarely ever thought about when you were first ‘introduced’ to space all those years ago. “Um, like ten?” You cleared your throat.
“That’s so cool!” Peter at first didn’t notice your discomfort, but the more you talked about your own experiences, the more obvious it became.
“I-I’m sorry, Peter. I don’t really like to think about the first few years of being in space. It was…scary. If it weren’t for my adopted brother, Yondu would’ve let the rest of his crew eat me.”
“Wait, what?” Peter was floored. In hindsight, you probably should’ve used another anecdote that wouldn’t prompt the idea of space cannibalism in his mind.
“Bad reference, sorry. It’s difficult to open up about that stuff,” you mumble. To avoid answering any more questions, you took a long sip of your drink. Peter didn’t hesitate to fill the gap with many apologies.
“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” His face flushed red as he offered to pay for lunch and everything. That was probably a good idea, seeing as how you didn’t think the restaurant would have accepted your credits.
After eating, Peter walked you back to the Milano, currently parked under the watch of Stark Industries’ top-notch security. He looked up at the ship in total awe but refrained from saying anything. You wanted to let him know that you guys were cool, but was at a loss for how.
You were halfway up the ramp before Peter said anything else.
“I guess I’ll leave you here,” Peter shuffled his feet as he stepped away from the ship. “I-I had a great time today.”
“Me too,” you said. “Will I be seeing you again?”
He seemed surprised. “You want to go on another date?”
“Of course. In fact,” you looked from the Milano to your date, “how about we go right now?” Peter’s jaw dropped as you nudged your head in the direction of the spaceship.
“No way…”
“I owe you. For bringing me back to Earth, showing me around, paying for food. It’s high time I return the favor. I might not be able to tell you everything about space, but I can show you?” You held out your hand, which he grabbed with no hesitation.
With yours’ and Peter’s combined knowledge, getting the Milano clearance to fly was as simple as convincing Drax to fight a monster. It wasn’t long before you were taking off in a fit of giggles. As you approached the last few barriers between the Earth and outer space, you could sense Peter’s slight anxiety. You hand held his while you steered the ship with the other. As the blue sky gave way to a billion lights, you looked at Peter with pure adoration. You were used to this sight, but seeing it through his eyes was a brand new spectacle. Putting the Milano at a cruising speed, you were content to spend forever holding his hand and staring at the stars.
Peter hadn’t felt this way since…ever. He could barely describe how he felt. It was better than when Liz agreed to go out with him for the first time. Even bigger than when Mr. Stark gave him his first suit. It was special. He pried his gaze away from the window to look at you, only to find that you had been staring at him this entire time.
You blushed, averting your eyes from his by looking to the stars again. There, illuminated by all the light in space, Peter resolved that he had never seen a better view than this. You saw this kind of stuff every day, but something about being here with him made it feel like a completely new experience. You turned back around, feeling his hand resting on top of yours.
As if the gravity (or lack thereof) in the universe was pulling you closer together. His eyes closed. Then yours. You found yourself lost in the feeling of his lips, practically sliding out of your seat if it weren’t for Peter’s gentle hold keeping you still. Your heart was not so fortunate.
“Wow.” Peter couldn’t help but whisper as he stared into your eyes, which were filled with starlight. You didn’t know what to say, no one has ever shown you this much attention or affection before. So instead, you just pulled him back in.
Bonus:
“Stark. Get your tin-covered ass in here.”
Tony rolled his eyes as the comms went on in his lab. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, I thought I told you- no interruptions!”
“Mr. Starlord insisted it was an emergency, sir,” the calm AI replied. Tony groaned before pushing away from his work and begrudgingly walking to where the Milano was taking cover. Or at least, where it should have been taking cover.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y. Please tell me I wasn’t robbed.” Tony sighed as Peter Quill immediately descended upon the man with a million and one complaints. All his noise almost drowned out F.R.I.D.A.Y’s “no sir.”
“I thought you were supposed to be the biggest guy there was around here. It was bad enough that my kid sister convinced the rest of my crew to come here, worse to have to share a room with Drax, and now this. Where in the friggin’ hell is my ship?”
“F.R.I.D.A.Y, who’s using the ship?” Tony shouted over Peter’s rants.
“The Milano was last accessed by Miss Interstellar-Awesome-Lord and Mister Spoodermens, sir.” Security footage of Y/N and Peter proceeded to show up on a holoscreen. Tony gave Quill an exasperated look.
“I see the naming conventions don’t fall far from the tree.” Tony immediately called Peter as he walked away from Quill’s yells of fury. “Hey, Pete. Tell me you’re not rocketing through space again with Space Cowboy’s little sister. Also, what in the everloving hell is Mister Spoodermens?”
“Wait, how is my phone getting service from outer…here?”
“You know, Aunt May killed me the last time you were up there. Do you want her to do it again? Because both are necks are on the line if you don’t get back here right no-.”
The phone was grabbed by Quill before Tony even registered his approach. “You better stay as far away from Y/N as possible, you-you punk! Y/N! Get my ship back here this insta-”
You grabbed Peter’s phone and hung up while you were still ahead. Peter’s face went from shock to full on laughter as you ignored the next few calls. “We’re in so much trouble.” He shook his head.
Toad's Cave 