(Peter Parker x reader) Romeo and Juliet

51: One

"The hell happened to this planet?" Quill asked, holding a weird pice of tech in his hand.

Peter and I stood uncertainly to the side.

"It's eight degrees of its axis," Quill continued. I'd only just learned his name, no one else's. "Gravitational pull is all over the place."

Bug Lady was jumping up and down behind him, proving his point.

"Yeah, we got one advantage, he's coming to us," Tony said, as though talking to himself.

Peter and I shared looks again.

"We'll use it," Tony continued. "Alright, I got a plan. Or, the beginnings of one."

I sighed. "Let's hope we all don't die, right?"

Peter scoffed. "Uh, yeah, okay."

I slapped his back.

He laughed. But looked sick.

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's pretty simple, we draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't wanna dance with this guy."

I nodded.

"We just want the gauntlet," Tony finished, then frowned at Walking Road Map, who was yawning. "Are you yawning?"

Walking Road Map froze.

"In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh?" Tony's snark levels rose when he was stressed, I noticed.

Walking Road Map only looked confused. "I stopped listening after you said 'we need a plan'."

I sighed. "You can't do that to Tony."

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page," Tony said, sounding almost ready to give up.

Apparently Tony didn't know his real name either, cause I assume he wasn't Mr. Clean.

Quill frowned. "See, 'not winging it' isn't exactly what they do."

I frowned deeper. "Wait, that's..oh."

Peter frowned like me. "Uh, what exactly is it that they do?"

Quill looked at them.

Bug Lady looked proud as she answered. "Kick names, take ass."

I snorted.

Both Tony and Peter stared at them.

"That's right," Walking Road Map agreed.

Both Tony and Peter just blinked.

"All right, just get over here please. Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?" Tony requested, moving his hands around expressively.

Quill made another face. "'Mr. Lord'. Starlord is fine."

Tony was unfazed. "We gotta coalesce, cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude-"

"Dude," Quill interrupted. "Don't call us plucky. We don't know what it means."

I shook my head, and Peter smiled at the ground a bit.

"All right, we're optimistic, yes, I like your plan. Except, it sucks. So let me do the plan, that way it might be really good," Quill went on.

All of us stared at him.

Idiots, all of them.

All of us too...

Tony looked very offended.

"Tell him about the dance off that saved the universe," Walking Road Map requested.

I gave them all an wide-eyed look.

Peter looked excitable.

Tony looked done.

"What dance off?" I asked.

Quill shook his head. "It's not-it n-it's not a thing."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Like in Footloose, the movie?"

I smiled.

"Exactly like Footloose," Quill said, looking actually excited for once. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"

My Peter made a face. "It never was."

Tony rounded on him, still looking 100% done. "Don't encourage this, alright?"

Peter looked at the floor, scolded. "Okay."

"We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here," Tony continued.

Quill rose his head. "Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment. Don't forget, I'm half human. So that 50% of me that's stupid?" He paused, pointing at us. "That's 100% you."

Peter frowned at the other Peter.

I frowned with him, stepping forward defensively.

Peter grabbed my hand, perhaps pulling harder than he meant, and I slammed back into his hard body.

He 'oofed'.

I did too.

Tony was still giving Peter Quill his 'you're a dipshit' look. "Your math is blowing my mind-"

"Excuse me," Bug Lady said. "But does your friend....often do that?"

We all looked toward where she was staring, at Strange.

He sat cross legged--all right, that's a lie, he floated--next to more rubble, looking like a video-game glitch.

And he was making pained sounds.

Tony walked over to him. "Strange, we alright?"

Strange didn't reply, he kept on glitching.

I stood completely still while Peter bit his bottom lip and poked his cheek with his tongue.

I made up my mind...that one day, I'd kiss that spot. The one he always poked with his tongue.

Strange suddenly plopped back onto the ground, gasping.

Tony braced him. "You're back, you're alright."

Strange replied, "hi."

I tore my eyes off Peter with considerable effort.

"Hey, what was that?" Peter asked.

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict," Strange relayed, panting.

Tony and Peter froze.

I gripped his hand with all my might. The tone Strange had used....didn't make me feel comforted.

"How many did you see?" Tony asked, his voice small.

Strange stared at him. "14,000,605."

I blinked.

Peter mouthed 'wow'.

Tony gulped. "How many did we win?"

Strange was silent.

I felt the answer before I heard it.

My stomach dropped.

My heart jumped.

My hand slackened.

Peter's chin touched his chest.

Buggy Girl watched us.

"One."

I knew it.