ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғɪᴠᴇ | ᴇɢᴏ·s ᴘʟᴀɴᴇᴛ

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EGO'S PLANET
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EGO DOCKED HIS SHIP, USHERING EVERYONE ONTO A FLOATING PLATFORM.

Ego separated the wall to his ship, allowing the platform to slowly glide through the air towards a building in the distance. Everyone looked around in awe at the many colours of Ego's planet.

Ego turned to everyone, raising his arms. "Welcome, everyone, to my world."

"Wow," Peter said. "You have your own planet?"

His headphone hung around his neck with My Sweet Lord by George Harrison playing quietly.

"Well," Ego replied, turning around again. "it's no larger than your Earth's Moon."

"Humility, I like it." Drax nodded, locking his thumbs in his belt loops. "I, too, am extraordinarily humble."

Bubbles that contained rainbows of colour floated from above, making everyone stare at them with a smile. When one was close enough, Drax reached up and poked one, popping it. The bubble released smaller bubbles, now with individual colours. Drax laughed excitedly.

They reached the platform, and walked off, meeting with a large fountain. As they walked around it, Gamora spoke up.

"You own a planet and can destroy two dozen spaceships without a suit. What are you exactly?"

"I'm what's called a Celestial, sweetheart." Ego replied, him and Mantis walking towards the stairs, while the Guardians stopped at the base of them.

"A Celestial...like a god?" Peter inquired. Ego stopped, looking back at the group.

"Well, small g, son. At least, on those days I'm feeling as humble as Drax." He chuckled.

The Guardians followed their host up the long flight of golden stairs, up into a large room. They all gasped, amazed at how many more colours exploded off the walls and pillars.

Ego beckoned everyone to join him in front of one of the many oval pods that sat around the room. "I don't know where I came from, exactly. The first thing I remember is...flickering. Adrift in the cosmos...utterly and entirely alone. Over millions of years, I learned to control the molecules around me. I grew smarter and stronger."

The pod displayed a floating brain, that shone a vivid blue. As Ego explained, tiny molecules pulled in around it, building into a small, grey planet.

Ego ambled over to the next pod, demonstrating the small planet build layers upon layers of itself. It turned from grey to a bright red.

"And I continued building from there. Layer by layer. The very planet you walk on now."

"Woah." Peter breathed, looking over at Lexi.

"But," Ego continued. "I wanted more. I desired meaning."

Ego walked off, over to the next pod. The group followed eagerly. "There must be some life out there in the universe. Besides just me, I thought. And so, I set myself the task of finding it. I created what I imagined biological life to be like. Down to the most minute detail."

The pod showed a man, with long brown locks, sporting black pants, a grey shirt, and a red leather jacket.

Drax studied the figure in the pod, before looking over at Ego. "Did you make a penis?"

Peter's, Gamora's, and Lexi's eyes all shot over to Drax.

"Dude!"
"What is wrong with you?"
"You can't just ask that!"

"If he is a planet, how could he make a baby with your mother? He would smoosh her!" Drax asked, looking at Peter.

Peter groaned. "I don't need to hear how my parents..." he drifted off his own sentence, not really wanting to finish it anyways.

Drax gave a confused look. "Why? My father would tell the story of impregnating my mother every winter solstice."

"Ew!" Lexi squirmed physically, clenching her fists.

"That's disgusting," Peter said in a snappy tone.

"It was beautiful," Drax argued defensively. "You Earthers have hang-ups."

"Yes, Drax," Ego interrupted, a smirk building up. "I got a penis."

"HA!" Drax bellowed, extending a hand towards him. "Thank you!"

"...and it's not half bad."

Drax raised his eyebrows curiously, as Peter groaned with disgust. Gamora and Lexi exchanged a look, both of their faces also reading loathe.

"I also have pain receptors, and a digestive system, and all the...accompanying junk. I wanted to experience what it truly meant to be human. As I set out amongst the stars, till I found what I sought." Ego pointed up at the forth pod with hope. "Life."

"I was not alone in the universe after all." Ego said, watching at his figure in the display stood in front of a small girl, with pink skin, holding a small toy.

Peter looked at his father. "When did you meet my mother?"

Ego turned, a smile on his lips. "Not long after."

He led them to the next pod, this one showing him with a woman. She had long wavy blonde hair and wore a floral sundress. The two figures hugged tightly in a loving embrace.

"It was, with Meredith, that I first experienced love. I called her my River Lily."

The picture changed to them slowly leaning into each other to kiss. It changed again to where Meredith was pregnant, having Ego beside her, one hand resting on her growing stomach.

"From that love, Peter...you. I've searched for you for so long. And when I heard a man from Earth, who held an Infinity Stone without dying...I knew you were the son of the woman I loved."

Peter returned Ego's stare. "If you loved her, why would you leave her?"

Ego sighed, lowering his head shamefully.

————

Ego and Peter stood outside, gazing upon a porcelain statue of Meredith.

"My mother told everyone my father was from the stars."

Ego looked at his son, before Peter glanced back at him. "She has brain cancer, so everyone thought she was delusional."

"Peter..." Ego moved closer to him.

"Look, I'd love to believe all this, I really would, but you left the most wonderful woman ever to die, alone!" Peter stated, walking passed Ego.

"I didn't want to leave your mother, Peter! If I don't return regularly to my planet, and the light within it, this form with whither and perish."

"Then why didn't you come back? Why did you send Yondu – a criminal, of all people – to come and to fetch me and Lexi?!"

"I loved your mother, Peter!" Ego yelled back at Peter. "I couldn't stand to step foot on an Earth where she wasn't living! You can't imagine what that's like!"

"I know exactly what that feels like!" Peter yelled back, with full rage. "I HAD TO WATCH HER DIE!"

Ego paused, taking a breath to calm himself.

"Over the millions and millions of years of my existence, I have made many mistakes, Peter. But you're not one of them. Please give me the chance to be the father she would want me to be."

He spoke in a calming tone, not trying to get Peter further upset. "There's so much I need to teach you, about this planet, and the light within. They are apart of you, Peter."

"What do you mean?" Peter spoke with hesitance, leaning back his head suspiciously.

Ego extended a hand. "Give me your hands, son."

Peter glanced down at it before slowly placing his hands onto his. Ego positioned his hands so they were shoulder length apart with his palms facing upwards. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate. Take your brain to the centre of his planet."

A sudden blue energy sparked between Peter's hands, frightening him.

"Yes! Yes!" Ego chanted excitedly.

Peter gasped as he looked up at his father, the energy disappearing. "Woah! What was it?"

"It's okay! Just relax! Concentrate. You can do it. Bring it back." Ego encouraged, stepping back.

Peter grunted as he tried to focus. The energy sparked up again, flowing heavily between his hands.

Ego yelped in happiness, moving closer to his son. "Now, shape it. Feel that energy."

Peter pressed his hands together, cupping both of them to form a sphere-shaped object. He looked up at Ego, expectingly.

Ego smiled. "You're home."

Peter returned the smile, tears brimming his eyes.

Ego lifted his hands, waving them towards himself. "Peter..."

Peter glanced down at his creation, before tossing it towards his dad. Ego caught the energy-ball Peter had made and reshaped it, so it had a smoother surface. He took a few steps back, tossing the ball back over to Peter.

A gleeful laugh erupted from Peter, finally getting to throw a ball around with his dad, like he's always wanted to.