NOT ONE OF OURS

The moment the words passed Mantis' lips, a loud thud shook the ship. Immediately all heads turned to the source of the noise - the front window. There a blonde, muscular man was spread across the screen, his face smashed comically against the glass. If it had been under different circumstances, Messalina would have laughed. Octavian didn't get the memo, a snort escaping his mouth. A sharp jab to the ribs silenced any comment that Messalina knew would've followed. 

"Get it off!" Rocket cried out, hiding his eyes behind his paws. "How many of you uglies are there?" 

Messalina stared at the man, taking a cautious step closer. There was something familiar about him; the more she thought about it, the further from the truth she was. What grabbed her attention even more was the debris floating behind him, and faceless figures drifting. If it was a ship, there was nothing left of it to give that impression. It was now mere rubble. 

In an almost ominous tone, she pressed a hand against the glass, her focus switching between the man and the destruction behind him. "He's not one of ours." 

"Who is he?" Mantis' question fell on deaf ears, the previous conversation forgotten. Everyone was intently gazing at stranger. 

Peter was the first one to act. He started moving towards the air lock, pressing the side of his neck when suddenly a mask enclosed his face. Messalina gawped at the stunning technology, her brother having to elbow her to stop her from gawking. "Let's go find out." 

*

Octavian couldn't stop staring at the man laid on the table. He hadn't noticed earlier, but the unknown man's arms were the size of tree trunks, the muscles perfectly sculpted. His breastplate fit his torso very well, with it drawing attention to his jaw dropping abs. Physically, he was as if he'd been created by a god. From his body to his jawline so sharp it could slice skin, he was flawless. Even the eye patch adorned over his right eye amplified his attractiveness. 

He quickly averted his gaze, suddenly very aware of Messalina's teasing smile. He muttered a protest, taking note to how she just shook her head laughing. "Don't blame you. That is some fine ass merchandise." 

If he hadn't been blushing before, he was beet red now. Messalina cackled at the sight, punching his shoulder lightly. "It's perfectly natural. Didn't think he'd be your type though." 

She ended their conversation with a mischievous wink. Octavian stared at her, stuttering. "Wha-what do you mean by that?" 

Just as expected, she didn't respond, putting her attention back on the man on the table and the Guardians surrounding them. A small smirk crawled on her face as she saw Gamora lift the strangers arm up, admiring his muscular physique. The jealously on Peter's face was evident, a source of amusement for Messalina. She'd expected Octavian to be chuckling at the sight - he was too lost in thought. 

"I have muscles!" Peter weakly defended, mouth agape at Gamora's clear attraction to the stranger. Gamora dropped his arm, uncaring to the thump it made as it hit the metal table mercilessly.

Drax interrupted, pointing at Peter. "You are a dude." His finger moved to the form on the table. "He is a man. He looks like a pirate and an angel had a baby."

For the first time since letting the man onto the ship, Octavian addressed the group. "I think the important thing we're forgetting is we don't even know who this man is! He could be a serial killer for all we know. I think the appropriate course of action is to cuff him." 

"I agree with the kid!" Peter wrapped his arm around Octavian's shoulders, squeezing them tightly. Octavian wasted no time shrugging him off. 

Mantis spoke, her voice taking it's usual dreamy tone. "Stop projecting your insecurities onto this poor man just because you feel threatened." 

Messalina frowned, taking a step closer to the pair. "Just because he's being careful doesn't mean he's insecure. Personally, I agree with my brother. We don't want him waking up and killing us all. For all we know, he's the one responsible for the carnage." Her eyes flicked briefly to Octavian, trying to wipe the image of him weak in her arms from her mind. Seeing him like that in plane... Her throat tightened, and she furiously swallowed. "At least put him in a locked room."

Octavian's gaze fixed on her, brows furrowing. He could have sworn that she sounded different than normal. Before he could ask her, the body on the table started moving. Instantly Octavian jumped into action, his brass knuckles sliding easily onto his hand, and in a beat had placed himself in front of Messalina. She frowned, pulling out her knives, pointing them directly at the hulking mass of muscle that was slowly gathering his surroundings. She edged Octavian out of the way, until he was in her shadow. 

"Don't move!" Octavian warned, raising his fists. The Guardians tensed, their weapons drawn and amusement wiped off of their faces in a heartbeat. 

The man shot up, head swivelling around. Messalina couldn't deny that his eye was a lovely shade of ocean blue, but there was something off about them. They weren't light; they were full of tragedy. She tightened her grip on her knives. 

"Don't you understand what 'don't move' means?" Octavian snapped, mouth pressed into a firm line. The hulk of muscle ignored Octavian's warning tone, fixing his gaze on the Guardians.

"Who the hell are you guys?"

*

Messalina had finally managed to convince Octavian to slip the bronze knuckles off of his hands by the time the Guardians had coaxed the massive man to sit down, a blanket draped across his shoulders and a bowl of soup steaming in front of him. She felt an extent of guilt for the man - it was clear that he had experienced something traumatic. That was something both her and Octavian could relate to very strongly. 

"Who are you?" Messalina edged herself into the conversation, curious eyes scouring the man. He didn't look like someone who belonged in space, yet alone someone who could survive being in it. 

He looked his singular eye onto her. "My name is Thor, Son of Odin, God of Thunder." 

"That's a long ass name," Octavian mumbled, and Messalina not so subtly stepped on his toe. He coughed to cover up his cry of pain. "So, god of thunder, how come you were out there?" 

"My ship was attacked, with all of my people. A mad titan by the name of Thanos destroyed my vessel, and he... he killed my brother. He stole the Tesseract and left me to join my brother." Octavian and Messalina exchanged panicked gazes. It had already begun. They were too late. Messalina felt her throat constrict - she was surprised she could still breathe. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Octavian's knuckles turn white. 

They failed before they'd even begun.

They were so immersed in their own thoughts that they didn't spot Gamora's horrified expression. Her feet took her over to the window overlooking space. "How many stones does he have?" 

Thor scratched at his beard, frowning. "I think there was only one, two if you count the one he just stole." 

Gamora's body instantly tensed. "If he gets all six stones, he can destroy everything just with a snap of his fingers." A sharp click echoed throughout the ship. Such a small sound, one even a child could make. Yet it pierced Messalina's ears like a dagger, ringing in her ears. 

"You seem to know a great deal about Thanos." Thor's eyes were wary, the spoon no longer in his hand. 

Drax cut in immediately without pause. "She is Thanos's child." 

She is Thanos' child. The sentence was on repeat in Octavian's head, the faces of those he loved dead swirling along with the sound. It begged him to slip on his brass knuckles and show Gamora just why he was sent on this suicide mission. 

Messalina's head snapped towards Octavian, already grabbing a hold of his arms, pulling him back. His face was the picture of fury, with his eyes blazing and mouth spitting. "Oct, calm down!" 

Angrily, he shook her off, pointing an accusatory finger at Gamora. "Your father has killed thousands, including -" 

"Octavian!" Messalina bellowed, harshly grabbing a hold of his elbow. "These people do not need to know our sob story! Come with me, now!" 

She waited for him to follow, screaming at him when he failed to comply. She pulled him into the nearest room she could find, uncaring that the Guardians and Thor could hear everything she was saying. "What the fuck was that?" 

Octavian scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You know what that was! She is the kid of serial killer, don't you understand that? She's the type of person we fight, not the person we work with! How are you not pissed right now?" Octavian watched Messalina look away, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. The fire died in his eyes, his voice dropping in volume, almost as if he was whispering to the wind. "Wait, you knew?"

"Of course I fucking knew!" Messalina burst out, arms flying. "Strange told me, and he told me that he didn't mention it because he was afraid of something like this happening! And he was right to be afraid, Octavian you're acting like a brat." 

"Excuse me?" 

"You heard me. Like it or not, we are stuck on a ship in space with Gamora. She's one of the most important players in taking Thanos down, and you would see that if you weren't blinded by your stupid, fucking thirst for revenge." Messalina took a deep, shuddering breath. She reached a hand out, aching to hold him. "I'm just trying to protect you." 

"Sure seems like it." Octavian was close to spitting now, the veins on his neck popping. He shied away from her touch, putting as much space between them as possible. She was on another planet now, and he no longer cared. Messalina opened her mouth to say something else, anything, when he cut her off. "You're not mom, or dad, and you never will be. You can't do anything for me." 

He stormed off before he could see the film of tears coat her eyes. 

-

hey guys. i am really sorry for the long wait, but it's finally back! just an fyi, updates aren't going to be as constant as i would like them to be - i have my last year of college with really important a level exams at the end of the year and we're moving this friday so soon i'll be done with packing! i will try to update this as much as possible, at least once a month but i'll let you guys know of any future changes. 

also, arty_writes just published her infinity war fic called 'shine again' and can i say, holy shit. she makes me so envious with her writing, and i've only seen one chapter. if you guys want to check it out, go ahead! it is totally worth it.

anyways, what did you guys think of the chapter? you guys miss me? 

it's good to be back. 

-thirdwheelchurchill