❝ THE GODDAMN SPIDER-MAN ❞
( KEEPERS OF THE STONES )
ix. worse than death
chapter nine

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QUEENS, TWO YEARS AGO

" Hey! " A familiar voice boomed, making both Vulture and Vero's heads snap over to the teenager wearing his own modeled suit, " Surprised? "

" What the hell, Pete. . " Vero muttered under his breath as the spandex-clad boy walked into the Vulture's hideout; the black haired vigilante hand been hiding on one of the catwalks above Vulture's desk for quite some time, waiting a good time to proceed with his takedown, he hadn't been expecting Peter Parker to show up, especially not when he was supposedly going to homecoming with said villain's daughter.

" Oh, hey, Pete, " Vulture said casually, as if they were good friends; the way the teen's name rolled off his tongue so easily made Vero clench his jaw, pale fingers gripping the bar of the catwalk tightly as he watched the man turn away from his tool table. " I didn't hear you come in. "

" It's over, I got you! " Peter shouted, oblivious to Vulture's less than shocked attitude.

" You know, I gotta tell you, Pete, I admire your grit. " Vulture praised, slinging his bag over his shoulder as Peter continued walking towards him, a determined look on his face under the fabric of the mask. " I can see why Liz likes you, I do. "

" When you first came to the house, I was like 'really?'', but now I get it. " As Vulture and Peter began to drone on about Liz, Vero zoned out, as he usually did when he heard someone mention the oh-so perfect Liz Allan; he didn't hate her, but god, it was hard to like someone so. . . Liz.

The fact that Peter drooled about her all the time didn't help Vero's case, either.

Instead of listening to the pointless yet inevitable villainous speech the Vulture was giving Peter, Vero assumed it was a distraction and tried to look around the room, hoping to see something that he could use against the former man. From his position on the catwalk above, though, it was hard to move without making a noise, and, in the big, open warehouse, they would definitely hear him if the wires were to shake under his weight.

Before he could do much thinking, Peter knocking over a bottle on Vulture's desk distracted him, bringing him back into the two' conversation, just at a moment he did not want to hear.

" Peter, you're young. You don't understand how the world works- "

" Yeah, but I understand that selling weapons to criminals is wrong. " He shot back, to which Vulture scoffed in disbelief.

" How do you think your buddy Stark paid for that tower? Or any of his little toys? " He inquired, pointing up towards the ceiling, even though he truly didn't know which direction the Avengers Tower was; the mention of his father's name snapped something within Vero, who hadn't seen the aforementioned man for nearly a year.

" Those people-those people up there? They don't care, they're rich and they're powerful, they do whatever they want. " Vulture insisted, waving his hand around dismissively, " Guys like us, they don't care about us. We build their roads and fight their wars, but they don't care about us. That's how it is. "

" Why are you telling me this? " Peter questioned, his voice higher than usual, a telltale sign of his nerves.

" Because, I need you to understand. Plus, I needed some time to get her ready to fly. " His second part confused both teenagers in the room, and Vulture finally acknowledged the second one as he turned to glance up at the catwalk, " That's what you've been waiting for, Stark? "

Vero straightened to a standing position, scowling down at Vulture just as the man lifted a remote, pressing down on what looked like the only button. Something opened on the other end of the warehouse, and a small contraption flew out, metal wings sharp as it flew threw the columns, narrowly missing Peter as he ducked, heading right for Vero. His eyes went wide but instincts took over as the mechanical wings crashed into the catwalk, ripping it from its hinges, the boy jumped on top of them.

" Oh, shit, oh, shit, " Vero swore repeatedly under his breath as his body clattered against the metal, slightly weighing it down as he leaned against it.

It weaved back through the columns again, Peter webslinging out of its path as the dark haired boy struggled to stay balanced on it as it turned sideways to dodge a wall.

" Peter, get the hell out of here! " Vero shouted over the sound of the wings scraping into the columns as it swooped down once again, fighting the teen's pull as he dug his fingers into it, trying to yank it up and steer it away from Peter, hopefully not injuring himself in the process.

" Yeah, no way! " Peter called back, and Vulture only shook his head briefly.

" I'm sorry, Peter. " He apologized, and while it sounded sincere, Vero couldn't help but focus on the fact that the man had purposefully ignored him to prove that he truly did believe men like Tony Stark to be the true enemy, and, to him, the son of a Stark was like the devil's incarnate.

" What are you talkin' about? That thing hasn't even touched me yet! " Peter boasted, rising to his full posture, holding his hands out to his sides as he looked to Vulture.

" True, " Vulture agreed, then added with a shrug, " but still, wasn't really trying to. "

It was then that Peter's eyes caught the large cracks in the columns, and Vero didn't even have time to react as the wings flew right towards the last one; he leaped off of it at the last second, spray debris knocking into him as he tumbled to the ground, the hard impact knocking the wind from his lungs and leaving an unpleasant snapping noise in his ears.

His vision was dotted with black spots as a sharp pain in his arm burst, and it was like a gunshot had went off by his ear. He could barely hear anything, but managed to catch the sound of a walkie talkie, then, the Vulture's footsteps as he left. Vero hurriedly sat up once he realized he was mildly okay, rubbing at his eyes frequently with his good hand to clear the dust that had accumulated, but decided on just pulling his goggles down instead.

He glanced down at his wrist, seeing his watch (and the only way to transform into the Silver Iron Man) was busted, and knew he'd definitely have to repair it. Vero's eyes travelled further up his arm to see blood trickling down his wrist, dropping off his hand; the ache in his forearm hadn't felt that bad, so he didn't understand how it was bleeding, but when he carefully rolled back his sleeve, he could see the open wound, where crimson blood was gushing, and the white of his broken bone could just barely be seen past the skin and muscle.

Vero suddenly felt lightheaded and refused the urge to vomit, opting to look elsewhere. His eyes analyzed the scene before him, seeing the pieces of the mechanical wings discarded and destroyed across the warehouse. What was more alarming, though, was that all the cement columns has fallen, crashing into a pile in the middle of the floor. As he noticed the destruction, and the ringing in his ear subsided faintly, he noticed a different noise. A different sort of disaster.

" Help! I'm-I'm stuck! Please. . . help me! Someone. . . "

Crying.

Vero rushed to his feet, pushing the feeling of absolute agony in his arm to the back of his mind, he stumbled over towards the immense pile of concrete, where the tortured shouts were echoing from. It looked like the entire ceiling had collapsed, so much debris and rubble that Vero could barely see Peter in the darkness.

" Pete-Peter, oh, my god, Pete, " Vero whispered, voice hoarse and scratchy as his friend's head leaned up, tear-filled, brown eyes staring up at him pleadingly

" Hey, V-Vero, you gotta help me- " As his trembling voice spoke, Vero tried to find a way to lift the rocks and rubble, but as soon as he place his palms underneath a particularly large piece and attempted to lift, his arm seemed to catch on fire, making him fall backwards on his rear in pain.

" Vero, please, help me, " Peter called again, and the Stark could feel tears prickling at his eyes, whether from the blazing hot pain or the realization that there was nothing he could do to help Peter, or a combination of the two, he didn't have time to think about.

Vero pushed himself back to his feet, crouching in front of the opening so that Peter could see that he was still there. He tried to force a broken smile, a trademark of the Stark men, but couldn't as he watched the brown haired teen struggle underneath the weight of the crushed concrete.

" I-I can't, Pete. . . You're gonna have to do this one yourself. . . " Vero insisted, trying to keep his voice steady; he was not the one in danger, he had to show confidence for Peter, or else the latter would have no hope of getting free. However, he just couldn't stop the tears as they continued to fill his eyes, eventually overflowing like a wave, trickling down his dirt-ridden face.

He watched Peter suck in a deep breath, try to calm himself, and then saw the tensed muscles in his face as he pushed against the ground. The rubble didn't move a bit.

" I can't-I cant, Vero, I can't do it, " Peter choked out a sob as his voice cracked, shattering like a piece of glass; Vero's wet eyes dropped from his face, to the small dent in front of him, where the Spider-Man mask laid, gaining a possible idea.

" No, Pete, you can, and you will. You have to. " He stated it so bluntly that the teen crime fighter had to look up at him, waiting for pointless words of encouragement that would do nothing for his current situation; Vero had a different outcome in mind as he lifted the goggles off his face, and back onto his head.

" You are Peter freaking Parker, the smartest person I know, you're the goddamn Spider-Man, for God's sake, so start acting like it, and get the hell out of there. "

Vero hoped his brash demeanor made the words a little more meaningful, and, as Peter let them sink in, the former noticed a thoughtful look on his face before blinking, seeming to come back to reality. Peter took several breaths, nodding and adjusting his position, placing his hands up under the large piece of concrete over his head.

" Come on, Peter, come on, Spider-Man, " Peter mumbled, eyebrows furrowed and face scrunched as he pushed with all the strength he had left, causing the rubble to lift just enough, and Vero to walk backwards slowly, an expression of pride glossing over his face. " You're the goddamn Spider-Man. "

And then, as if by a miracle, he threw the concrete backwards, behind him, and trudged out from the debris before falling to his knees on the floor. Vero snapped out of his shock and slid forward, kneeling beside Peter, placing a hand gently on his shoulder as he drew in heavy breaths.

Vero could see the shining path his tears had taken down his dirty face and wondered if his looked like it, and while staring at his classmate's red eyes and injured face, Peter felt his hand on his shoulder and tilted his head up, no reaction or expression needed as he immediately threw his arms around the taller boy. Vero ignored the strike of pain the impact brought to his arm and swallowed thickly before carefully wrapping his arms around Peter, afraid that too much contact would break either one of them right then.

They said nothing, and, in a few moments, after they both decided they had recovered, they would chase the Vulture down together, and probably forget that this had even happened.

But Vero couldn't seem to get his mind off of the goddamn Spider-Man, especially not after this.

◌ ◌ ◌

KNOWHERE, PRESENT DAY

" JJ, where the hell are we? " Vero questioned as his feet finally reached the surface of the strange planet; JARVIS JR made a humming noise in his mask, as if he was actually thinking about it.

" Knowhere, it seems. " His robotic voice answered, and Vero couldn't help but narrow his eyes, pale blue irises glancing across the landscape; the teen checked the oxygen levels on the monitor visible to his eyes only, seeing that the air was breathable.

" Nowhere? What the hell does that mean? " He retorted, pressing a button on the side of his suit, retracting the mask from his face; the planet looked empty, but not destroyed. Maybe Thanos hadn't been there yet.

" Knowhere. It's the planet's name, sir. " JJ answered, and Vero's eyes darted around once again, hoping to find something out of the ordinary to give him just a hint of what he should be doing.

" Okay, why do you think the Stone wanted me here? " He asked, remembering the burning, pulsating feeling in his head that had happened on the ring.

" I don't know, but it would seem that the Reality Stone wants to be found. " The AI replied, and Vero began taking small steps around the planet, weaving a path through the seemingly abandoned place.

" Uh, any new messages? " Vero asked, trying to keep from having to search in silence; having an AI constantly with you was helpful, most of the time.

" Yes, three of them. " Vero coughed out a laugh at this.

" Wow, didn't realize I was such a popular guy. " He commented, then, waving his hand around, insisted, " Play 'em. "

He had hoped that the sound and words of familiar voices would calm his slowly-rising nerves as he trekked across the rough planet's surface.

" Message one, left at 10 A.M., from Michelle Jones. " JJ began, his emotionless tone turning into the young woman's, " Vero, what the hell is going on? First, you don't show up to school, then Peter skips out on the bus, and now neither of you are answering your phones? Just. . call me back, okay? I'm. . yeah, just call back, jerk. "

" That was better than I had expected. " Vero mentioned as JJ continued to play the voicemails.

" Message two, left at 12 P.M., from May Parker. " As soon as JJ said her name, Vero's eyes went wide, " Vero, Michelle just told me Peter's not on the field trip, and that you didn't show up, either. I can't get a hold of Peter, is he with you? Oh, please tell me you boys just skipped school and are hanging out in the park, or something. Where's Peter, Vero? Please. . . "

If she knew where they really were, she'd have a heart attack. Vero only cleared his throat, waiting for the next message as he suddenly spotted something across the ways, a bright red glow coming from behind a small rock several yards away.

" Message three, left ten minutes ago, from Sam Wilson. " Vero's feet didn't stop moving towards the rock, but his head certainly spun as he remembered that Sam hadn't been at the apartment that morning; what had he been doing while Vero was stuck in space?

" Sorry for leaving this morning, Rhodes needed us. " He didn't elaborate on who us was, leaving Vero's mind to wander, " I just got a second to talk, but we saw the news, I'm sure your dad is fine- "

Vero became slightly worried at that, his breath hitching as he listened more closely to Sam's words, " oh, shit, don't tell me you're on that damn spaceship, too. I swear to god, kid, you better- just. . . make sure you come back down, okay? "

The message ended with a beep, just as Vero finally approached the rock, kicking it aside to reveal the Reality Stone, in all its glowing glory. In retrospect, he should have been smarter and thought it through, why would an Infinity Stone be lying around on an empty planet?

But, his wish for it to be true clouded his mind, and as he picked up the Stone so casually, letting it rest in his palm, expecting something incredible to happen, he felt it. Something felt wrong, like the Stone was still calling in his mind, trying to tell him something.

Then, as his eyes dropped to the Stone it turned to dust in his hand, cherry colored ashes falling from his fingers as he turned it over, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

All around him, the world seemed to change right in front of his very eyes. In a split second, he was no longer on Knowhere, the pitch black sky replaced with the pale blue one he had saw hours ago. It was like he had went back in time, finding himself back outside the ring, fingers clutching to pieces of metal as he struggled to hold on; he looked down and saw how far up they were, knowing that a fall would be fatal, to say the least.

His mask was back on, now, and the moment when he noticed Peter just a little lower than him, he knew what was happening. Just like before, Peter would begin to lose oxygen, and pull off his own latex mask - which he did, as soon as Vero thought of it. However, when he expected to see his father and Sloane hovering below the ring, he didn't, meaning the Iron Spider wouldn't be there to save Peter.

" Pete, hey, Peter! " Vero shouted, his voice nearly drowned out from the sounds of the rising spaceship; he still managed to gain the teen's attention, though, brown eyes wide, " Hey, you gotta let go, okay? Just let go- "

" That's an awful far fall, Vero- "

" I'll catch you, Pete, I promise. " Vero insisted, but before Peter could even decide to let go himself, the pure force of gravity paired with his weakening grip sent him off the ring, hurtling towards Earth's surface.

Vero didn't feel himself do it, but heard his voice scream the boy's name as he, too, let go. His flight was much more controlled, though, thanks to the blasters on the soles of his suit and palms. Peter's flying body was like a little blob of red against a silvery canvas, all the buildings below blurred as his vision focused on saving that red blob.

This is when Vero started to realize that something was not right; Peter was moving faster than he was, but his blasters were activated to their highest level, he should be caught up to him by now.

This isn't right, it isn't scientifically possible, this can't be real, were all the thoughts rapidly flying through his head as he came within arm's length of Peter; he outstretched his limb as far as it could go, now noticing how close they were to a nasty landing. Peter, too, held out his hand, their fingertips just barely brushing each other's.

Vero gritted his teeth as he tried to force his arm further, just another inch and he would have him, only for a loud cracking noise to erupt in his ears, and blackness to fill his sight.

The dark haired boy regained his sight as he felt the ground below him, hands visibly scraped, but that seemed to be the only injury he gained. He also didn't feel any pain, even though the impact of the fall should've killed him.

Irrational doubts pushed back, deep in his head, Vero's head snapped over to where the other boy laid, immediately scrambling over to him. Sinking to his knees, Vero placed his arms underneath his limp body, trying to lift him before realizing that Peter's eyes were closed, a drizzle of blood pouring from his forehead, down past his eyebrow and through his eyelashes.

" Pete. . . " Vero's whisper was shaky and hollow as he lightly shook him, hoping that he would twitch, or even sit up and punch him across the face, just a sign that he was still alive.

After further shaking him, to the point where he looked like a rag doll in the taller boy's arms, Vero laid his head against his chest, feeling nothing but his own blood rushing in his ears.

There was no breathing, and there was no heartbeat.

At this realization, Vero slowly leaned back up, having not felt the many tears filling his eyes, and, eventually falling from them, steady streaks trailing his face as he looked back to the boy's unmoved face.

" Pete, I'm. . . " As soon as his voice cracked, he didn't try to say anything else, the feeling of absolute devastation filling his mind as he leaned his forehead back onto the lifeless body before him.

" If you've wondered what was worse than death, " A booming, unfamiliar voice spoke, sounding as if he was reciting a biblical verse, " Now you know. "

At those words, Vero lifted his head, turning to glare back at the speaker, only to see a tall, inhumanly large man standing behind him, his skin a light shade of purple, and, more importantly, the Infinity Gauntlet fitted on his hand, three of the Infinity Stones in their respective places on it.

Vero felt a weight lifted off of him, and turned back to see Peter fade away, as did the bright blue sky, and the New York buildings around him, transforming back into Knowhere. He had known something was off, but his overwhelming emotions had kept him from seeing through it.

" Now, " The monster of a man spoke, a curious look on his face as he closed his fist, the red of the Reality Stone glowing before dissipating quickly. " Tell me, why would the soul of Zakynthos Callas, one of the greatest warriors to have ever lived, choose someone so fragile to protect one of the most powerful objects in the universe? "

The glare on his face transformed from confusion to pure anger as he rose to his feet, the tear-streaked stains on his face evident. Vero stood tall, his lanky figure barely a threat to Thanos, but still, he held his ground.

" You tricked me, you messed with my head. " Vero accused through gritted teeth, holding out his palms, blasters whirring up with energy.

Thanos didn't seem bothered by his futile attempt, watching the beams of energy zoom past him as he dodged out of the way. He only lifted the Gauntlet in response, the Power Stone shining brightly as he activated it. Vero watched, awaiting an attack, unaware of the large boulder raising behind him.

Luckily, he looked up just as Thanos let the huge rock fall; Vero held his palms up, keeping the boulder from crushing him, but within seconds, he could already feel his muscles burning underneath the heavy weight. Vero's jaw felt like it would break if he kept pressing his teeth together, the tendons in his face and body tensing as Thanos let out a hefty sigh.

" Humans are the most resistant to change, it's no wonder your people are putting up such a fight. " He commented, a slight smirk on his face as he watched Vero scowl up at him; with a small motion, the bound burst into several, slightly smaller pieces, catching the teen off guard and throwing him to the ground, the rocks keeping him down.

" Non-humans are very stubborn, too, however, " Thanos stated, glancing up at the sky just as a spaceship flew overhead, landing just a mile or two away from them; his eyes found the pile of rocks, seeing Vero practically trapped under them before he bid farewell, " It was a pleasure meeting you, Reality Keeper, I'm sorry our paths crossed the same way again. "

Vero didn't know what he meant, but felt something in the back of his head all but screaming at him to get up as Thanos left. It wasn't even a voice, it was just the feeling that he had to stand, he had to get out of there, pressing hard against his brain. The dark haired boy closed his eyes, seeing flashes of what he could only assume as his past life, Zakynthos, going through the same thing.

Zakynthos has done it, he could do it.

Vero gathered all the strength he had left in his body to shove the rocks out of the way, clearing a path in front of him. His muscles felt like they were tearing, and the rest of his body didn't feel too well either, but he was making progress. Soon enough, he was able to crawl out from underneath the pile of rocks, climbing to his hands and knees as he sucked in a deep breath.

After catching his breath, he turned around and sat on his butt, arms resting on his raised knees as he tried to reconstruct himself. He found himself glancing at the huge footprints Thanos left in the dust of the surface, scanning the trail as it got farther and farther away, before he finally saw the spaceship that had landed a good while away.

He could either go back and find his father and the others, with disappointing news to tell them, or go try and warn those people, and possibly get himself killed at the hands of Thanos.

Oh, when does a moral compass ever come in handy?

Vero forced himself to his feet, his ribs feeling achy and skin scratched and possibly bleeding from the many rough rocks. He picked his legs up one at a time, the pain fading a little with every step he took, before he was trekking again, this time, with a destination in mind.

Several minutes passed until he finally approached the spaceship, seeing a small group of people hiding behind a rock; a tall brute with reddish skin, a much shorter woman with antennae sticking out of her pale forehead, a green-skinned woman, and a particularly normal-looking man. Even with their hushed voices, Vero could still hear their bickering, and came within shouting distance just as the green woman went to go around the large rock.

" Wait! " He whisper-shouted, his last few steps light as air as he came to stand in front of them, earning fighting stances from them all, which, truthfully, could be more or less intimidating.

" Who the hell are you? " The brown haired man questioned in a quiet voice, eyebrows furrowed as the others waited for an answer.

" My name's Vero, and I'm the Keeper of the Reality Stone. " He explained briefly, peering around the boulder to see Thanos standing beside a small tank, where a white haired man cowered inside, a look of confusion passing over his face as he realized what Thanks was doing.

" You're a Keeper? " The green woman repeated, taking a slight step towards him, making Vero instinctively back up a step, " Well, where's the Stone? "

" He already has it, you need to get out of here before- " Vero tried to warn them, but the only other human stepped forward, holding a hand out.

" Sorry, kid, but we're not going anywhere. " He insisted, and then the taller man started walking around the discarded items, muttering, " Today, he pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter. "

" No, no, no, Drax, not yet. " Quill tried to persuade him, but he only glanced down at him shortly before pushing past him; then, the woman with the antennae leaned across Vero to touch the man's head, whispering, " Sleep. "

His body fell into unconsciousness immediately, and literally fell onto the ground, causing a loud clanging noise as he fell onto the Collector's garbage and items. Quill cringed and they all ducked behind the strangely tall rock, just as Thanos glanced over in their direction.

" Okay, Gamora, Mantis, you go right- " Quill was interrupted by the green woman- Gamora - moving out from the rock, on the left side; he sighed and muttered, " The other right! "

Vero watched on as Gamora leapt up more of the trashed objects laying around, running across them until she landed in front of Thanos, raising her blade to stab him; he caught it midair, but she brought it back, out of his grip, and shoved it right into his neck; pulling out another, significantly smaller dagger, she slammed it into his chest. Thanos groaned in pain and threw her stumbling backwards, but she kept her fighting position ready.

The teenager couldn't help but feel, in the pit of his stomach, that this was another trick, another illusion. There's no way Gamora just killed one of the most powerful creatures known to the universe, not that easily. Thanos gripped the knife still in his chest before looking down at his attacker, calling out in a croaky voice, " Why? "

Vero felt his hands get clammy, not liking how drawn out the situation was getting, he neared Quill's side, muttering under his breath, " Something's wrong. "

Quill glanced over at him, eyebrows lowered, wondering what he meant, just as Thanos felt to his knees, speaking again, " Why you, daughter? "

That word hit Vero like a truck, and he suddenly gained immense respect for Gamora as she began to cry, falling to her knees as Thanos collapsed backwards; he heard her weapon clang to the ground, but still couldn't shake the uneasiness building in his stomach.

" That was quick. " Quill commented, just as Drax woke from his brief knockout.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Vero kept his stare on the Infinity Gauntlet, seeing the faint, barely-there glow of the Reality Stone. He quickly grabbed at Quill's shoulder, being just as tall as the older man, trying to direct his attention to it.

" Kid, what is it- "

" It's fake, it's all fake, we need to get out of here, now. " Vero told him, but it was too late.

" Is that sadness I sense in you, daughter? " Thanos' voice echoed, and they all turned back to see his body disappear, " I knew you still cared. "

The environment around them changed dramatically within seconds, no longer being the cold, dark, empty planet, but rather one filled with flames and destruction. The true reality.

" Reality is often disappointing. That is. . . " Thanos trailed off as he reappeared just before Gamora, who seemed more in shock that the others; all the trashed objects surrounding them were now littered in flames, and the air became significantly heavier and hotter around them. " It was. "

" Now, reality can be whatever I want. "

Gamora wore a look of disbelief, but not shock, as she spoke, " You knew I'd come. "

" I counted on it. " Thanos replied sharply, tilting his head as he looked down at his daughter, " There's something we need to discuss, little one. "

Gamora seemed to snap, letting out a scream as she lunged for her dropped weapon, only for Thanos to pluck her up easily, like picking an apple. Drax all but roared as he ran up to the monster, but Thanos was quicker, raising his hand and activating the Reality Stone. It's powers turned Drax into blocks of flesh, to which Mantis visibly gasped, making his hand turn to her, resulting in her becoming a pile of ribbons.

At this, Quill slammed his arm across Vero's chest, pushing him back behind the safety of the rock. He glanced over at the wide-eyed boy, a worried look on his face as he spoke, " You're the Keeper of that thing, right? Can't you- I don't know, change his reality? "

" Doesn't work like that. " Vero said bluntly, and Quill sighed, giving him a look that read "stay here" before rounding the rock, holding his blaster up at Thanos.

" Let her go, Grimace. " He ordered, gaining a curious look from Thanos; Gamora, with her father's hand on the back of her neck, shook her head lightly as she called, " Peter. . . "

" I told you to go right. " He pointed out, Gamora questioning him as he repeated, " I said let her go! "

Vero scrambled to think of a way to help them, but every thought that ran through his head told him to just listen for once, and stay back. He didn't like choosing what he would call the cowardly way, but in the situation, it didn't seem like he had a choice anymore. However, him being named Peter seemed to set something off in Vero.

" Ah, the boyfriend. " Thanos commented, to which Quill replied sharply, " I like to think more of myself as a Titan-killing, long term booty call. Let her go! "

" Peter, " Gamora tried again, and Vero felt himself wanting to do nothing more than attack Thanos himself, but Quill ignored her.

" I'm gonna blow that nutsack of a chin off your face. " Quill threatened, and Thanos seemed amused by his choice of words, if not, a little insulted.

" Not him. " Gamora said, finally gaining Quill's attention as his eyes found hers, a beat of silence passing between them; Vero knew what she meant instantly as she pressed, " You promised! You promised. . . "

" Oh, daughter, you expect too much of him. " Thanos mocked, then, seeing Quill's hesitation, forced Gamora forward so that her forehead was just inches away from the barrel of the gun. " Do it. "

" I told you to go right. " Quill repeated, and Vero was glad he couldn't see the tears in his eyes, but he sure could hear them, he could feel them.

" I love you more than anything. " were Gamora's last choice of words, and Quill's hand started to shake, just the slightest bit, as he responded.

" I love you, too. " Then, he pulled the trigger.

Vero had closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see the deed itself, but after he realized he didn't hear a gunshot, he opened them to see bubbles spurting from the gun, before it burst into them as well. Quill looked down at his hands, then up at Thanos, who cocked an evil smile.

" I like you. " He stated, then raised his fist, activating the Space Stone, and pulling Gamora with him through an open portal before disappearing altogether.

Drax and Mantis reversed into their normal forms, rising to their feet shakily, and Vero came out from behind the rock, walking towards Quill. The older man was crouched down, picking up Gamora's blade, eyes glued to it.

Vero would've taken this opportunity to say 'I told you so', but it definitely wasn't appropriate. Instead, he remembered what he had felt like when Thanos screwed with his reality, and placed a hand on Quill's shoulder supportively. He glanced back at him briefly before nodding to him, then standing to his feet.

" I'm sorry, but we can't stay here. " Vero persisted, glancing around at the three remaining Guardians.

" Where should we go, then? " Drax demanded, obviously irritated that they had left Thanos slip through their fingers, and allowed him to take Gamora with him.

Vero glimpsed back at Quill's angry, tear-streaked face, then turned to look at Drax when he replied,

" I may have an idea. "

◌ ◌ ◌

note.

oof that was a struggle.

I love the flashback in this chapter and I'm not too upset with the present time part either. and, that was just a taste of the heartbreak to come, just you wait.

again, thank you all for almost 7K views and nearly 800 votes!! You truly don't understand how much it means to me!

If you have any feedback about this chapter, I'd love to hear it! What'd you like about it, what'd you dislike about it? A specific character, relationship, or scene caught your eye? Brotps? Otps? We're so close to the Guardians meeting Tony, Strange, etc!

Any predictions or worries for the future chapters? Anything else you'd like to mention? I'm all ears!

also, I kind of hate the cliche of calling Peter "spiderboy"/"spiderling" and it really tires me out so I took a different route and had Vero tell him that he's literally the goddamn Spider-Man and not some puny kid like everyone thinks he is

++ here's a little something that I made inspired by candystores

lmao I ran out of bi spots so I compromised

until next time,