One month had passed since Yondu's death. Everyone still missed him dearly,but all have, in some way, moved on.

In the bright dawn of the morning,since there weren't any missions yet, it was relatively quiet. Until....

"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE RUBY!"

Hearing the screech from Amber,Rocket woke up with a start and the seeds of irritation have been planted from there.

Growling and seething with anger, Rocket got off his bed and headed outside his quarters to find the rest of the guardians looking rather shaken up. Except for Drax, of course.

Rocket raised an eyebrow at their weird expression, but turned upon seeing Amber walk out of the room briskly with a storm cloud above her head.

Amber sighed in anger as her head slightly shook. Rocket cautiously murmured,"The fuck happened to ya?"

Amber shot him a look that didn't seem to faze Rocket. "Do i look crazy?" Amber growled as her eye twitched.

Rocket cocked an eyebrow and had a deadpanned expression on his face as the other guardians seemed to have relaxed a little. It seemed like things had cooled off.

"Yea...sorry bout the outburst earlier everyone....its just that....Ruby's sick and i'm trying to tell her to get rest and but she never listens. Please tell me there's no missions today." Amber looked to Peter for answers.

Peter checks the monitor and it seemed like they had a new mission to take on, which included at least having 6 of them to take on the dangerous task.

As the monitor in front of everyone switched off, Amber's eye twitched again, and she groaned in frustration. "If Ruby finds out, she's gonna be the end of me, i swear to fuck." The thunderstorm had seemed to return as Ruby had heard and was in fact in the hallway, looking at the monitor, and most importantly, avoiding Rocket's glance.

As Ruby proceeded to head to the cockpit, Amber dragged Ruby by the wrist back to her room. The guardians could only watch, blinking blankly at the sight unfolding.

"LET GO OF ME! THERE ARE MISSIONS TODAY!"

"WE'LL HANDLE IT JUST FINE! GO REST!"

"FUCK NO!"

"THERE WILL BE NO "NO'S" COMING FROM YOU, MISSY!"

"AMBER,NO!!!!!" Ruby tried to strangle out of Amber's grasp,but failed spectacularly.

The rest of the guardians thought that if it was for the best that Ruby stayed in bed, so be it. Rocket stifled a laugh at the chaos happening live.

Later that morning, Ruby's door was locked up. Peter,Gamora,Drax,Rocket,Groot and Amber went to tackle the mission,and succeeded. Don't worry,Rocket stole no more important stuff from their clients.

Back from the mission, Amber walked up to Rocket. "I don't know if this is too much to ask for, but can you please go check on Ruby? I highly doubt she wants to see me after the fiasco that happened earlier."

"No. Abosolutely fuckin not." Rocket growled. The events of the failed confession is still fresh in his mind. Even if he went to see her, would she want him to? After all,she ran.

She ran away from you. She doesn't want anything to do with a freak like yourself. Rocket's mind screamed at him.

Amber sighed in exasperation. This emotionally constipated possum needs a wake-up call. Both of them do. She was going to get him to do it whether he liked it or not.

"Look here,Rocket. I don't care what happened a few weeks ago, but please. She needs you. Please,i'm begging you." She looked back at the guardians for some help but they were all gone. Fuckers.....She groaned upon knowing they left her to deal with this shit by herself.

Rocket growled and seethed,but eventually relented. Fuck Ruby for being his flarkin weak spot.

"Fuck it,i'll do it toots. If this shit ends badly,i'm blowing out your head."

Back in her quarters,Ruby was still blowing her nose desperately, hoping to be cured of her disease. Well,krakens do get sick so who the fuck am i kidding?

Rocket opened the door awkwardly and sat near the door. God, this felt so awkward for the poor raccoon.

Ruby cocked an eyebrow as she spoke up,"Rocket....you...came." she didn't know what else to say before looking away to cough.

Rocket looked up upon hearing Ruby's voice and gave her a cup of water. Ruby accepted the cup of water with a weak smile. "T-thank you." Her voice still sounded horribly off.

Ruby and Rocket were in a bit of...a fix?

Tension filled the room as none of the two knew what to say.

Eventually,Ruby sighed,knowing this conversation isn't going to go anywhere. "Hey...thanks for coming to see me after the shit i pulled earlier this morning."

"Its fine,its nothin...." Rocket mumbled. He was weirdly tense and still.

"I didn't think you'd come after....you know...."

Rocket looked at her with a slight frown. "Flarkin hell,Rubes. I may be an asshole but i ain't that big of one,unless its happenin' to Drax or Quill."

An offended "hey!" can be heard coming from Peter outside as Rocket decided to go out for a yelling sesh at Quill.

Hearing the unspeakable words Rocket hurled at Peter, Ruby could only wince. Very. Hard.

   Upon seeing Rocket storm back into the room,Ruby asked Rocket,"Look....i'm....sorry."

    Rocket glanced at her with a surprised expression.

  "Sorry for what?"

    "I'm sorry,for running. I know i fucked up big time.....i never meant to-"

"Ok, flarkin stop Rubes. Its nothin, its fine." Rocket decided to stop her right then and there. What was she even sorry for? He's the fool for thinking she could ever love her.

   "But still. I'm more sorry for ignoring you these past few weeks."

   "I also ignored you,toots. We're even." Rocket snarked with a deadpan look. Hopefully his snark could steer this conversation out of dangerous waters.

   "Ok. If its fine by you....could we...possibly be friends again?"

    And all hope of a romantic connection flew out the window. A small part of Rocket's shattered heart hoped for the best, but this is still good, he did want his friend back. Eh,why the fuck not?

   Rocket simply nodded while trying to put out an indifferent shrug to cover this...insane thing he's doing. Its called-

    -Vulnerability.

    Ruby gratefully hugs Rocket,without thinking, before quickly realising her "mistake" and withdrawing.

  Rocket sighed. "Next time ya wanna hug me to death, get well first." Despite this attempt at his usual snark, a tiny bit of emotion managed to slip through the cracks.

   Rocket left the room eventually with a sense of relief. He finally had his friend back.

    Even if it left him with a sense of longing, it was still better than nothin.

   Back in Ruby's room, she smiled to herself, a sense of happiness filling her heart.

A feeling thats been absent for a long time.

   However, the same poison that left Rocket with a sense of longing, seemed to have come from a certain vine.

   One that both of them "drank" from.