aubergines | ( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

[Thank Nerifes. Senel releases a breath he hadn't entirely realized he was holding - that freedom would be a lifesaver. He could ramble about Shirley for hours, leaving out details like her Ferines heritage if necessary. He nearly runs a hand through his slicked back hair, hastily pulling his hand down at the last minute.

He stares a little longer at the silver wedding ring around his finger than he intended. No matter how often he sees it, some small part of him's in awe every time he remembers that to the outside world, he's married, if only to maintain Chloe's reputation. After Stella, he hadn't considered this. Married life was (supposedly) a long-distant dream that he'd never fulfill. Sure, Shirley had expressed interest in a relationship with him, but she was his baby sister. Marrying her was far beyond his comfort level now, and he wasn't certain if he'd ever fully reciprocate those feelings.

This, though? When he wasn't trying to pretend that he adored gardenias or trying to wrestle cooking duties from the maids? It was... well, it was nice.]

I can work with that. [He gives her a small smile, the embarrassment temporarily forgotten, as he glances towards the door.] Thanks, again. I know... I know I haven't been the best to work with these past couple of weeks.

If I had a credit for every time you've said that, like, ever, I'd quit my job and retire to a remote island.

Anyway, whatever's easiest? Definitely blowing a hole through the wall. Vents are more subtle and all, but I think we sort of threw subtlety out the metaphorical window when we pulled the fire alarm-- [ When they come up to an intersection of hallways, she takes another quick glance at her omni-tool. ] --make a left here.

[ He rolls his eyes at the credit comment (his defense for using the line so frequently is typically, “What? It’s a good song!”), and makes the turn as directed. ]

Are we seriously gonna blow up a wall? I mean, like, okay, all for the path of least resistance, but you’re soundin’ a lot like Rocket, here.

[ Nevermind the guy had loaded Peter up on explosives. “Never know, Quill,” and a shrug had been his response. Peter didn’t think he’d actually need that stuff. ]

[ She gives him a mischievous smile. ]

I mean, we've already been compromised, and I do enjoy a little pyrotechnics every now and then.

[ Fond, fond memories of blowing Hock's helicopter up into fiery little bits come to mind. ]

[ ward rolls his eyes. ]

I'm disappointed that you have to ask.

[ his loyalty to skye has been used by shield enough times now that he thinks it shouldn't be up for question. raina is another matter, but he doesn't feel like going into the specifics of what he did and didn't say, the information he gave them. ]

[ he leaves everything but the screwdriver on the table for fitz, and then walks around the little suite, flipping it in his hand like it's a knife. the back wall is translucent glass: there's a shower on the other side, designed so that whoever's showering will be blurrily, tantalizingly silhouetted to anyone in the sleek queen sized bed — which has its own controls. the bathroom has no door. it does, however, have a ceiling grate, and ward hops up on the lid of the toilet to inspect it. ]

Not bloody likely if they want to inherit any of my wealth and be acknowledged as my offspring in public.

[ His sigh is way over the top. ]

Why do I hangout almost exclusively with crazy people?

Easy - because there's never a dull moment with people like us.

[ She slows down in her tracks then, pulling her hand away from Peter's grip and examining a nearby wall. ]

What do you say we take out a couple more brainwashed Cerberus lackeys on our way out? Other side of this wall bets us to the base of one of those watchtowers by the entrance.

[Chloe can't help a genuine look of surprise. Senel's actually been doing rather well, despite a slightly shaky start for the both of them; he's a quick learner, and he's dealt with the circumstances rather gracefully despite his usual hot-headed temper. All things considered, she has no complaints -- although there may be some bias skewing her positive opinion just so.

Or maybe she was so fearful of screwing it up herself somehow that all the little rough spots are easy to overlook in comparison.]

N-Not at all. I've been away so long -- I'm aware that I was rather unpracticed myself at first, so... [You know, if you nitpick.

Her words speed up a little next, a self-conscious sign.] But I've -- I've enjoyed this time, actually. That is -- the more stressful instances aside -- this has been...

[H o w is it so much easier to speak before a crowded room of people than it is to say this straight in private?

Keeping that in mind, Chloe regains most of her composure before continuing.]

Rather... I think I've learned a few things. [She smiles slightly after a moment, to herself.] I've known that there's more to you than just the soldier, but... I never stopped to imagine you in this kind of setting -- a domestic setting, that is. It's been... I think it's been telling. About the kind of person you are, and the qualities I may have overlooked before now.

[...Which... again, is not helping with those confused feelings.]

[ Alright, he was playing the long-suffering straight man before, but her question makes him smirk. His fingers touch the trigger behind his ear, and his mask flares to life. ]

See? Now that’s the proper way to show a guy a good time.

[ He digs into his pockets, pulling out a handful of explosives the size of ping-pong balls. He frowns when he recognizes a bit of flaking paint on one of them -- he's, like, 80% sure Rocket dismantled something from the kitchen to make these. Peter shakes his head as he kneels in front of the wall Goto pointed out and thinks, What a god damn asshole. ]

These bombs used to be a food processor. [ He says it as he presses a couple to the wall. ] Thought that'd be a fun and terrifying tidbit of info for the both of us.

[ She steps back and lets him do his work. The mention of a food processor makes her tilt her head, though, before an incredulous expression takes over. ]

I'm surprised you guys even had a food processor. Though I suppose it makes sense, given the fact that anytime anyone tries to chop food with actual knives and a cutting board on your ship would probably just end up stabbing someone else.

[ Peter gives her a pointed look, though it's masked behind his helmet. He feels strangely compelled to defend his teammates' abilities. (If he cared to admit it, it's because he's proud of them and this little ragtag team they've put together, but that sounds stupid. If asked, he'd say it was because they would kick his ass if he didn't say something in their favor.) ]

Please, they've got more skill than that. They wouldn't stab anyone they didn't mean to. I've seen Drax cut a tied-up hostage loose without even glancing at her. And I've seen Gamora throw a knife across a crowded room and nail a guy in the eye. It was awesome.

[ Clearly his lifestyle has given him a strange definition of "awesome." He reaches up to place a few more of the explosives closer to the ceiling. ]

'Sides, Drax cooks. I mean, not often? But he's pretty good. We got the food processor for him hopin' he'd cook some more, but he said he prefered the old-fashioned way. 'Least we know kitchen appliances can blow shit up, now. Thanks, Rocket.

[ For good measure, he places two bombs in the center of the wall, then steps back. ] Think we're good. You ready?

[ Well thanks to that, she's totally going to invite herself over for a gourmet meal courtesy of Drax someday. So enjoy.

She responds to his question with a nod and takes another step back just for good measure. ]

Hit it, Star-Lord.

[ He follows her lead, taking another step back (just in case, seeing as how Rocket's a pyromaniac) and hits the trigger that was also helpfully supplied.

The explosion is near deafening, but less flashy than Peter would've expected. One second there was a wall, the next there's rubble and dust and smoke and the faint smell of burnt plastic.

Peter grabs hold of his blasters just as a startled guard steps through the smoke to find out what the fuck just happened. The man's greeted with a blast of electricity to the chest, and he falls twitching to the ground. After that, Peter sweeps an arm out, half-bowing to Kasumi. ]

Ladies first.

[ She half-bows in response, stepping over the still-twitching body and looking back over her shoulder at Peter. ]

Charmed.

[ And with a quick flash, she's disappearing into invisibility yet again. Don't worry, she won't be straying far form Peter, just reappearing next to and striking against another approaching guard before sending an overload of shock through his body. ]

[ Even if Kasumi were looking at him, the roll of his eyes would still be hidden behind his mask. ]

Show-off.

[ He steps out soon after, though, and there's a shout of surprise somewhere to his right. Another Cerberus soldier cries at them to stop where they are, blah blah blah. Peter is obliged to fire his blaster at him-- second verse, same as the first, and he convulses on the floor.

Peter can hear voices drifting down from the watchtower, and he has just enough time to grab Kasumi by the elbow, launching them both forward just as a hail of bullets rain down on them from above. He pulls them against the base of the tower, using the platform above them as cover from the snipers. ]

Any ideas on taking out the dickwads up there?

Elementary, my dear Quill.

[ She looks back out onto where they came out from inside, and waves her hand over in that direction. With the flash of a program on the back of her hand her decoy reappears, every bit as sassy and agile as the real Kasumi as it moves across the space in front of them, making like it's dodging bullets and generally being an awesome distraction. She will never not be grateful for this piece of programming genius. ]

And now we pay the guys upstairs a little visit.

-- I've gotta admit. That is a damn neat trick.

[ And even if the look on his face doesn't show it, his voice at least sounds suitably impressed.

He casts around for a second before he locates the set of stairs winding up to the watchtower's main platform and starts heading up, taking two steps at a time.. As good as Kasumi's decoy is, he figures they don't have too much time before A) it runs out and/or B), the guards wise up to the deception and start looking for them in earnest. ]

[ true. the loyalty to skye's a point of contention, if anything, but it's one of very few consistencies when it comes to grant ward. fitz doesn't respond, though he seems somewhat appeased by the answer. he waits until ward's moved to the bathroom to pick up one of the lock picks, stepping over to the open doorway and watching ward as he inspects the ceiling.

he turns his attention to the comms a moment later, then seems to think better of it, turning away from ward entirely and heading back into the other room as he starts to tinker with the device. it takes him several tries to loose one of the panels; longer than it should, really, and he tries to keep the effort out of ward's line of sight. ]

They must've abducted you for a reason.

[ half petty, half thoughtful, very belligerently not concerned. and then, almost as an afterthought but with deliberate finality (and definitely petty): ] You can't come back with us.

[ good luck getting back to earth, js. ]

[ it shouldn't surprise him, but somehow that sentiment still has the power to hurt him, and ward pauses in his concentration, drops his hands to slap against his thighs and looks at fitz in disbelief. ]

[ then he hops down off the toilet. ]

I've been a team player.

[ he reminds fitz evenly, pointing the screwdriver at him. ]

I'd say I think of you guys as family, but given what I think of my actual family, that doesn't seem like much of a compliment.

[ he tosses the screwdriver a couple of times, and he's angry, he can feel it in the pit of his stomach, that helpless, hurt anger that he's become so good at sublimating into action. he shrugs it away, stops well short of fitz' personal space, stance unthreatening. not that he couldn't still kill fitz from here if he wanted to. he wishes they'd appreciate that restraint — after all, fitz hadn't shown him the same courtesy. ]

But maybe you should be asking yourself if you can get off this ship without me.

Thanks. It's one of my favorites.

[ Sure enough, the decoy starts to fizzle out as Kasumi follows Peter in heading up the watch tower, and there's an audible ruckus from upstairs as they approach when it fades out completely (mostly frustrated yelling along the lines of "It was a goddamn decoy!" and "Find that bitch!" which is one of Kasumi's favorites, because they almost never do). She's following closely behind Peter, her pistol unholstered and in her hands, ready to dole out some mad hurt on these guys. ]

Here they come.

I'll give it a shot.

[that said, he lets her pull her into the bedroom, and despite the fact that she lets him go before too long, he follows her into the bathroom after a moment of looking around, again wide-eyed and despite his promise. a moment of pause follows, and then slowly, he offers her a thin, teasing smile] I don't know. We might have to fight for it. [because that is, in fact, a nice tub, and God, it's been a long time since he's been able to take a bath rather than just a shower]

( #002 ) FAKE MARRIED AU

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spike } btvs } ota

sam wilson ( falcon ) | mcu | ota

peter quill ✫ gotg ✫ ota

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