U.A. High — Monday, 10:14 a.m.
Tony Stark had seen a lot of strange things since arriving in Japan.
A seven-foot green teenager who could discuss gamma radiation while casually bending steel.
A blond Asgardian who treated indoor volume like a personal enemy.
A boy carrying generations of Quirks inside his body.
A girl who could manufacture cannons from her skin.
A principal who was somehow both adorable and deeply unsettling.
Tony had adapted.
Mostly.
Then Peter Quill opened his mouth.
And Tony's brain stopped.
Class 1-A had been moved into one of U.A.'s larger international classrooms for the morning. Aizawa had informed them that several exchange students would be joining their practical program.
Tony assumed this meant students from Europe.
Maybe America.
Maybe Wakanda.
Normal international.
He was wrong.
Peter Quill lounged sideways in his chair with one boot hooked around the desk leg.
Brown-blond hair.
Red jacket.
Headphones hanging around his neck.
A cassette player sat on the desk beside him.
Actually—
Tony stared at it.
A cassette player.
In 20—
No.
Tony refused to emotionally process that yet.
Peter noticed him staring.
"What?"
Tony pointed.
"Is that a cassette player?"
Peter looked down.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Peter frowned.
"Because it plays cassettes."
Tony slowly turned toward Bruce.
Bruce was already trying not to laugh.
Peter looked offended.
"My mom gave me this."
Tony immediately stopped.
"Okay."
He pointed again.
"Cassette player is now exempt from criticism."
Peter nodded.
"Good."
Then he returned one headphone to his ear.
That should have been the strangest conversation Tony had that morning.
It wasn't.
Aizawa stood at the front.
"Exchange students."
His voice suggested that international diplomacy was inconveniencing his nap schedule.
"Some of them are participating under U.A.'s extraterrestrial cultural program."
Tony looked up.
"Extraterrestrial?"
Aizawa continued like he'd said Canadian.
"Yes."
Tony stared.
Bruce leaned toward him.
"You didn't know?"
"No."
Thor looked confused by Tony's reaction.
"You were unaware?"
Tony turned.
"Why are you acting like this is normal?"
Thor blinked.
"Because it is."
Tony stared at him.
"Right."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Asgard."
Thor smiled proudly.
"Aye."
Tony looked toward J.A.R.V.I.S.'s interface.
"Did everyone know aliens were casually attending high school except me?"
J.A.R.V.I.S. replied quietly.
"Extraterrestrial life has been publicly acknowledged for decades, sir."
"I know aliens exist."
Tony pointed toward Peter.
"I didn't know we were doing exchange semesters."
Peter lifted one finger.
"Technically I'm from Earth."
Tony looked toward him.
"Great."
Peter smiled.
"My mom's from Missouri."
Tony relaxed.
"There we go."
"My dad's an alien."
Tony froze.
Silence.
Peter continued listening to his music.
Tony stared.
Peter eventually noticed.
"What?"
Tony leaned forward.
"What the hell do you mean you're half alien?"
Half the class turned.
Peter removed his headphone.
"I feel like that sentence was pretty self-explanatory."
Tony looked around.
"Is nobody else concerned about this?"
Thor raised his hand slightly.
"I was already aware."
Tony pointed.
"You don't count."
Gamora, sitting several seats behind Peter, slowly looked up from her book.
Green skin.
Dark hair with reddish-purple ends.
Calm expression.
Dangerous posture.
"What exactly is wrong with being alien?"
Tony turned.
Gamora stared directly at him.
Tony opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Gamora lifted an eyebrow.
"I am alien."
Tony pointed toward her.
"Okay, first—nothing."
Gamora kept staring.
"Second, I wasn't being speciesist."
Peter snorted.
Tony glared.
"I wasn't."
Gamora waited.
Tony continued.
"I was surprised because Quill looks completely human."
Peter looked down at himself.
"Thanks?"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Still taking it."
Gamora closed her book.
"My species doesn't resemble humans."
Tony nodded.
"Clearly."
Her eyes narrowed.
Tony immediately clarified.
"Not negatively."
Bruce covered his face.
Pepper whispered from across the room:
"Stop helping yourself."
Tony sighed.
"I'm fascinated scientifically."
Gamora stared.
"That somehow sounds worse."
Peter burst out laughing.
Tony looked at J.A.R.V.I.S.
"I'm losing this conversation."
"Quite severely, sir."
Aizawa rubbed his forehead.
"Are you finished?"
Tony nodded.
Peter nodded.
Gamora stared at both of them.
Aizawa continued.
"Peter Quill."
Peter gave a lazy two-finger salute.
"Present."
"Earth-born. Dual extraterrestrial citizenship."
Tony's head snapped around again.
Peter sighed.
"Oh boy."
Aizawa continued.
"Quirk registration classified under hybrid physiology."
Tony's eyes sharpened.
Hybrid.
Now he was interested.
Aizawa looked toward Peter.
"You can introduce yourself."
Peter stood.
"Peter Jason Quill."
Silence.
Peter waited.
Nobody reacted.
He frowned.
"Star-Lord?"
More silence.
Peter looked offended.
Tony whispered:
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
Peter stared at him.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Peter looked toward the class.
"Anybody?"
Kaminari slowly raised his hand.
"I've heard of Lord Star?"
Peter dropped his head.
"No."
Tony smiled.
Peter pointed toward himself.
"Star-Lord."
He paused dramatically.
"Legendary outlaw?"
Aizawa stared.
Peter continued.
"Nothing?"
Aizawa pointed toward his seat.
"Sit."
Peter muttered:
"Earth sucks."
Gamora smirked.
"You were born here."
"Exactly. I can say it."
Tony leaned toward Steve.
"I like him."
Steve looked concerned.
"That's never a good sign."
Lunch clarified absolutely nothing.
It made everything worse.
Peter somehow ended up at Tony's table.
Tony suspected Peter did it intentionally because Tony's reaction amused him.
Bruce sat beside Tony.
Steve and Bucky across from them.
Sam had joined.
Scott Lang was stealing food again.
Peter stared.
"You do that a lot?"
Scott looked innocent.
"Do what?"
Peter pointed toward the fry currently halfway to Scott's mouth.
Scott ate it.
"No idea what you're talking about."
Peter nodded.
"Respect."
Bucky groaned.
Tony pointed between Peter and Scott.
"No. Absolutely not."
Peter leaned back.
"You're weirdly controlling for someone I've known three hours."
Tony ignored him.
Gamora approached the table.
Peter looked up.
"Oh, hey."
Gamora sat beside him without asking.
Tony watched.
There was familiarity there.
Not dating.
Not exactly.
Something more complicated.
Peter looked toward her plate.
"Is that all you're eating?"
Gamora stared.
"Yes."
"You need more."
"I do not."
Peter pushed half his food toward her.
Gamora looked at it.
Then him.
Then silently accepted it.
Tony noticed.
He noticed everything.
"So."
Peter looked toward him.
Tony folded his hands.
"Alien dad."
Peter sighed.
"We're back to this?"
"Yes."
Gamora looked entertained.
Peter shrugged.
"My father's from space."
Tony stared.
Peter waited.
"That isn't enough information."
"It is if you aren't nosy."
Tony looked genuinely confused.
"That's never been my experience."
Bruce smiled.
Peter sighed.
"Fine."
He pointed toward himself.
"Mom: human."
Then upward.
"Dad: extraterrestrial."
Tony nodded slowly.
"Species?"
Peter hesitated.
Gamora looked toward him.
Peter finally said:
"Celestial."
Thor, who had approached with approximately three lunch trays, stopped.
Tony noticed.
Thor's expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Tony looked between them.
"What's a Celestial?"
Peter immediately pointed at Thor.
"See?"
Thor put the trays down.
"You truly do not know?"
Tony stared.
"I was busy revolutionizing energy."
Thor nodded.
"A worthy pursuit."
Peter leaned toward Tony.
"Celestials are old."
Gamora added:
"Very old."
Peter nodded.
"Cosmic."
Gamora:
"Extremely powerful."
Peter:
"Usually dramatic."
Gamora looked toward him.
"Your father is dramatic."
Peter nodded.
"Exactly."
Tony's scientific brain started spinning.
"How powerful?"
Peter shrugged.
"Dad built a planet."
Tony stopped.
Everyone at the table stopped.
Even Scott stopped stealing fries.
Tony stared.
"I'm sorry."
Peter took a drink.
Tony leaned forward.
"Say that again."
"My dad built a planet."
Tony slowly looked toward Bruce.
Bruce slowly removed his glasses.
Tony looked back.
"What the hell does built a planet mean?"
Peter shrugged.
"He found a dead world."
Tony stared.
"And?"
"Fixed it."
"Define fixed."
Peter started counting on his fingers.
"Atmosphere."
Tony's face changed.
"Oceans."
Bruce leaned forward.
"Plant life."
Tony's coffee lowered.
"Ecosystem."
Silence.
Peter nodded.
"Spartax."
Tony stared at him.
Peter smiled awkwardly.
"So."
Tony pointed.
"Your dad terraformed an entire world."
"Yep."
"And then?"
"People moved in."
"And then?"
"He became king."
Tony stared even harder.
Peter took another drink.
Tony whispered:
"You're a prince."
Peter grimaced.
"Technically."
Bucky laughed.
Steve stared.
Sam looked delighted.
Scott immediately bowed.
"Your Majesty."
Peter threw a napkin at him.
"Knock it off."
Tony's hands went into his hair.
"Wait."
He looked toward Peter again.
"You're telling me you are a half-alien prince whose father is an ancient cosmic being who terraformed a planet."
Peter pointed.
"When you say it like that, it sounds weird."
Tony stared.
"How else would I say it?"
Gamora finally spoke.
"Peter doesn't enjoy emphasizing his royal status."
Peter nodded.
"Thank you."
Gamora added:
"Mostly because he behaves nothing like royalty."
Peter stared.
"Less thank you."
Thor laughed loudly.
Peter pointed at him.
"See? Thor gets it."
Thor raised his drink.
"A prince should earn his name by deed, not merely birth."
Peter grinned.
"Exactly."
Tony looked between them.
"Are all space princes this exhausting?"
Thor and Peter simultaneously answered:
"Yes."
Tony sighed.
Tony wasn't done.
Of course he wasn't.
"Okay."
Peter groaned.
"No."
"Yes."
Tony pointed.
"Why do you live on Earth?"
Peter's expression changed.
Not much.
But enough.
"My mom."
Tony went quieter.
Peter continued.
"Meredith Quill."
His voice softened when he said her name.
"She raised me here."
Gamora watched Peter carefully.
Tony noticed.
Peter leaned back.
"Dad visits."
Tony blinked.
"Your cosmic king father visits Missouri?"
Peter smiled.
"Yeah."
Tony imagined that.
Failed.
"He just…"
Peter gestured.
"Shows up."
"What does he wear?"
Peter frowned.
"What?"
"I'm trying to picture this."
"Normal clothes sometimes."
Tony stared.
Peter added:
"He's terrible at blending in."
Gamora nodded.
"Extremely."
Peter looked toward her.
"You met him once."
"It was sufficient."
Tony laughed.
Peter continued.
"He and Mom actually love each other."
That surprised Tony less than Peter seemed to expect.
"Okay."
"Dad wanted Mom to move to Spartax."
"And?"
"She likes Earth."
Peter smiled.
"She told him kings can visit too."
Tony smiled despite himself.
"I like your mother already."
Peter pointed.
"Everyone does."
"Does she know about all this?"
Peter gestured at himself.
"All the alien stuff?"
"Yes."
"Of course."
"She's okay with it?"
Peter shrugged.
"I'm her kid."
The simplicity of the answer landed.
Tony understood that.
Maria Stark would probably react exactly the same way if Tony suddenly grew wings tomorrow.
She'd ask whether they hurt.
Then tell him not to scratch the furniture.
Peter continued.
"I live with Mom when I'm on Earth."
"So you're not living with your father."
"No."
Tony tilted his head.
"Why?"
Peter looked toward him.
"Because my life is here."
Then he smiled faintly.
"And because Dad's palace has way too many rules."
Thor nodded sympathetically.
"Palaces often do."
Tony looked toward Thor.
"Again, disturbing amount of shared experience."
Bucky pointed toward the weird guns holstered under Peter's jacket.
"What're those?"
Peter brightened instantly.
"My Element Guns."
Tony's eyes sharpened.
Gamora sighed.
"No."
Peter looked at her.
"What?"
"You showed Stark the guns."
Tony was already halfway around the table.
"Element what?"
Peter pulled one free.
The weapon was beautifully strange.
Alien metal.
Elegant contours.
Energy channels.
Tony stared.
Peter looked proud.
"Dad gave them to me."
Tony's expression changed.
"Your father gave you alien weapons?"
Peter nodded.
"How old were you?"
Peter thought.
"Thirteen?"
Tony stared.
Peter shrugged.
"They have safeties."
Tony slowly reached out.
"Can I—"
Peter pulled it away.
"No."
Tony looked offended.
"You brought alien technology into my line of sight."
"And?"
"That legally constitutes consent to analysis."
Steve immediately said:
"No, it doesn't."
Tony looked at him.
"Whose side are you on?"
"Law."
"Boring."
Peter laughed.
Tony sat back.
"What do they do?"
Peter rotated the gun.
"Element manipulation."
Tony stared.
"Define."
"Fire."
He clicked one setting.
"Water."
Another.
"Air."
Another.
"Earth."
Tony looked toward Bruce.
Bruce looked fascinated.
Peter smiled.
"Cool, right?"
Tony pointed at the weapon.
"I need three hours."
"No."
"Two."
"No."
"One."
"Still no."
Tony sighed.
"You're selfish."
"They're mine."
"Exactly."
Then another voice spoke from behind them.
"Boy's always been possessive."
Peter froze.
His expression changed instantly.
Tony looked up.
A blue-skinned man with a red cybernetic fin stood behind the table.
Leather coat.
Arrow holster.
Expression that looked permanently annoyed at the universe.
Peter stood.
"Yondu?"
Yondu Udonta looked him over.
"Boy."
Peter smiled despite himself.
"What're you doing here?"
"Job."
Gamora's posture subtly tightened.
Tony noticed.
Yondu looked around U.A.'s cafeteria.
"Also checkin' you're still alive."
Peter rolled his eyes.
"Mom sent you?"
Yondu smirked.
"Maybe."
Peter narrowed his eyes.
"Dad."
Yondu shrugged.
"Maybe him too."
Peter groaned.
Tony looked between them.
"Wait."
Peter immediately said:
"No."
Tony ignored him.
"You know his father?"
Yondu looked at Tony.
"Unfortunately."
Peter pointed.
"Hey."
Yondu continued.
"King pays good."
Peter stared.
"You're still taking money to spy on me?"
Yondu scowled.
"Ain't spying."
"What do you call reporting everything I do?"
"Parenting subcontract."
Tony choked on his coffee.
Gamora covered a smile.
Peter stared.
"You're unbelievable."
Yondu's expression softened almost invisibly.
"Your ma worries."
Peter's irritation disappeared slightly.
"And Dad?"
Yondu grunted.
"Him too."
Peter sat again.
Yondu remained standing.
Tony studied them.
Now he understood something.
Yondu wasn't Peter's biological father.
But Peter reacted to him differently than he reacted when speaking about J'son.
More immediate.
More emotional.
Home.
Yondu had clearly raised him too.
Peter looked toward Tony.
"Long story."
Tony nodded.
"Pirate?"
Yondu stared.
"Ravager."
Tony waited.
Yondu added:
"Which is a pirate."
Tony smiled.
"Thought so."
Peter sighed.
"The Ravagers aren't evil."
Gamora raised an eyebrow.
Peter corrected:
"They're selectively criminal."
Yondu grinned.
"That sounds respectable."
Tony leaned forward.
"What kind of jobs?"
Yondu looked at him.
"What kinda money you got?"
Pepper, passing their table, immediately stopped.
"No."
Tony looked up.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to hire space pirates."
"Ravagers."
Pepper stared.
Tony smiled.
"Apparently there's a distinction."
Yondu pointed toward Pepper.
"Smart girl."
Peter nodded.
"She's the reason Stark survives."
Pepper smiled.
Tony looked betrayed.
"Why is everyone bonding over insulting me?"
Later that afternoon, Peter was in Tony's laboratory.
Mostly because Tony had offered to upgrade his helmet.
Peter had said no.
Then Tony had described six things wrong with the helmet.
Peter lasted three minutes.
Gamora came too.
She claimed it was because Peter shouldn't be left unsupervised with Stark technology.
Tony suspected she actually wanted to see what he would discover.
Bruce stood near the scanner.
JARVIS occupied his small synthetic body.
Peter stared at him.
"Still weird."
JARVIS looked toward him.
"I believe you are a half-Celestial prince raised partially by space pirates."
Peter nodded.
"Fair."
Tony pointed toward the medical platform.
"Up."
Peter frowned.
"Why?"
"Baseline physiology."
"I thought you were scanning the helmet."
"I lied."
Peter stared.
Tony smiled.
Gamora crossed her arms.
"I warned you."
Peter groaned.
"Fine."
He stepped onto the platform.
Tony activated the scanner.
"Standard hybrid scan."
Peter's body appeared holographically.
Human anatomy.
Mostly.
Tony watched.
Then frowned.
"That's weird."
Peter sighed.
"What?"
Bruce leaned closer.
"Cellular energy density."
Tony nodded.
Peter's cells weren't simply stronger than human cells.
They contained something Tony had never seen.
Not stored electrical energy.
Not gamma.
Not conventional Quirk output.
Something deeper.
Every cell seemed to maintain a tiny internal energy field.
Tony's face became increasingly serious.
Peter noticed.
"I don't like your face."
"What face?"
"The genius face."
Gamora nodded.
"He has one."
Tony ignored them.
"JARVIS."
"Running analysis."
Peter's DNA appeared.
Half human.
The other half—
JARVIS paused.
Tony looked over.
"Can't identify it?"
"Not through terrestrial genomic standards."
Thor's earlier word came back.
Celestial.
Tony enlarged one of Peter's cells.
Energy moved through it.
Then something extraordinary happened.
The cell repaired a microscopic flaw in the sample almost instantly.
Bruce saw it.
"Regeneration."
Tony nodded.
But that wasn't all.
The material around the cell changed slightly.
Peter hadn't consciously done anything.
His biology had altered the immediate molecular environment just enough to maintain cellular stability.
Tony stared.
"Quill."
Peter looked nervous now.
"What?"
"Your cells aren't just producing energy."
Peter shrugged.
"Okay."
Tony looked toward him.
"They're interacting with matter."
Peter paused.
"What does that mean?"
Tony didn't answer immediately.
He wanted more data.
He wasn't going to tell Peter he could terraform worlds after one scan.
That was how bad scientists behaved.
Instead he looked at JARVIS.
"Save everything."
"File designation?"
Tony glanced at Peter.
Peter pointed.
"Nothing creepy."
Tony smiled.
"STAR-LORD."
Peter immediately brightened.
"Yes."
Tony added:
"BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS."
Peter's smile faded.
"Less cool."
"Can't have everything."
Gamora watched from the side.
Tony glanced toward her.
"You're next."
Gamora stared.
"No."
Tony pointed toward Peter.
"He did it."
"Peter makes poor decisions."
Peter looked offended.
"That feels personal."
Tony smiled.
Gamora didn't.
Tony shrugged.
"Offer stands."
She looked away.
Good.
Tony didn't push.
He noticed something else instead.
Whenever conversations turned toward family—
Gamora changed.
Subtle.
Shoulders tightening.
Eyes moving away.
Peter talking about Meredith made her smile faintly.
J'son made her distant.
Yondu made her curious.
But if anyone asked about her family—
she closed completely.
Tony filed that away mentally.
Not scientifically.
Personally.
There were some things you didn't hack.
He was learning.
Slowly.
Peter climbed off the scanner.
"So?"
Tony looked toward him.
"So you're definitely weird."
Peter stared.
"That's your medical opinion?"
"Highly technical term."
Bruce shook his head.
Tony continued.
"Enhanced muscle density. Unusually durable tissue. Elevated healing. Extremely high resistance to radiation and energy."
Peter smiled.
"Awesome."
"And your cells maintain a persistent energy interaction I don't understand yet."
Peter's smile grew.
"More awesome."
Tony pointed at him.
"No."
"What?"
"You don't get to be excited until I know whether it's going to kill you."
Peter shrugged.
"Hasn't yet."
Tony stared.
"That philosophy explains so much."
Gamora nodded.
"It truly does."
Peter looked between them.
"Whose side are you on?"
Gamora answered immediately.
"Mine."
Tony smiled.
"I like her too."
Peter sighed.
Tony reached toward Peter's Element Gun again.
Peter pulled it away.
"Still no."
Tony glared.
JARVIS suddenly turned toward the elevator.
"Sir."
Tony looked over.
"What?"
"Additional individuals have arrived requesting Mr. Quill."
Peter's eyes widened.
"Oh no."
The elevator opened.
First came Rocket.
Small.
Furry.
Armed.
Tony stared.
Rocket stared back.
Tony's brain stalled.
Rocket pointed at him.
"What're you looking at?"
Tony slowly looked toward Bruce.
Bruce's mouth twitched.
Tony looked back.
"Nothing."
Rocket narrowed his eyes.
"You were gonna say something."
Tony shook his head.
"I've learned."
Gamora smiled.
Behind Rocket came Groot.
Young.
Tall enough to be awkward indoors.
Tree-like.
Gentle eyes.
"I am Groot."
Tony stared.
Peter smiled.
"Groot."
Tony looked toward Peter.
"That explained nothing."
Rocket climbed onto a chair.
"He says hi."
Tony looked at Groot.
Then Rocket.
Then Peter.
Then Gamora.
Then Thor, who had somehow joined them again.
Tony spread his hands.
"Okay."
Nobody spoke.
Tony pointed around the room.
"Half-Celestial prince."
Peter waved.
"Green assassin."
Gamora's eyes narrowed.
Tony immediately corrected:
"Exchange student."
Better.
"Talking raccoon."
Rocket jumped onto the table.
"WHO YOU CALLIN' A RACCOON?!"
Tony took one step backward.
"Noted."
He pointed toward Groot.
"Tree."
"I am Groot."
JARVIS spoke.
"Mr. Groot objects to the reductive terminology."
Tony stared at JARVIS.
"You speak Groot?"
"Naturally."
Rocket stared.
"I like the robot."
JARVIS replied:
"I am not a robot."
Rocket grinned.
"I like him more."
Peter laughed.
Tony rubbed his face.
"And these are your friends."
Peter smiled.
"Yeah."
Not Guardians of the Galaxy.
Not yet.
Just Peter's people.
Gamora.
Rocket.
Groot.
Others scattered across the galaxy who drifted in and out of each other's lives.
Friends.
Troublemakers.
Mercenaries.
Runaways.
People who somehow kept ending up in the same place.
Tony looked around.
Then toward Peter.
Something clicked.
Tony had been building the Avenger Protocol around the same idea.
Maybe teams didn't begin with organizations.
Maybe they began like this.
A table.
Arguments.
People who shouldn't fit together—
fitting anyway.
Peter looked at him.
"What?"
Tony shook his head.
"Nothing."
"That's creepy."
"I'm thinking."
"Worse."
That evening, Yondu stood alone on one of Stark Tower's upper balconies.
Tokyo stretched below.
He activated an encrypted communicator.
A figure appeared.
Tall.
Regal.
Humanoid.
Eyes carrying far more age than the face suggested.
J'son.
King of Spartax.
Peter's biological father.
J'son looked toward Yondu.
"My son?"
Yondu leaned against the railing.
"Alive."
J'son's expression barely changed.
But relief moved through his eyes.
"His mother?"
"Fine."
"She still refuses the palace?"
Yondu laughed.
"Meredith told me to tell you she likes her kitchen."
J'son sighed.
"She could possess a kitchen spanning an entire wing."
"She likes hers."
J'son almost smiled.
"I know."
Yondu looked toward the skyline.
"Boy's at U.A."
"I am aware."
"Made some friends."
J'son's eyes softened.
"Good."
"One of 'em's a Stark."
J'son paused.
"Howard's son?"
"Yep."
"That concerns me."
Yondu grinned.
"Smart."
J'son ignored him.
"Peter's abilities?"
"Still mostly sleepin'."
"Do not force them."
Yondu's expression hardened.
"Wasn't plannin' to."
J'son nodded.
There was no rivalry between them.
Not anymore.
J'son knew what Yondu had been to Peter.
The man who taught him how to fly.
How to survive.
How to steal.
How not to get caught stealing.
Mostly.
J'son was Peter's father.
Yondu was his dad in another way.
Neither erased the other.
"Keep him safe."
Yondu frowned.
"Boy don't need babysittin'."
J'son stared.
Yondu sighed.
"Yeah."
He looked back toward U.A.
"I'll keep an eye."
J'son nodded.
"And Meredith?"
Yondu smiled.
"She'll keep us in line."
For the first time, the ancient Celestial king laughed.
"That she will."
Back inside Stark Tower, Peter had somehow hijacked Tony's sound system.
Earth music blasted through the laboratory.
Tony walked in.
Stopped.
Looked toward the ceiling.
"Is that—"
Peter pointed.
"Fleetwood Mac."
Tony frowned.
"Why is my lab playing Fleetwood Mac?"
"Because your playlist sucks."
Tony's mouth opened.
Peter smiled.
Rocket was dismantling something Tony absolutely did not remember giving him permission to touch.
Groot was studying a potted plant.
Gamora sat on the workbench pretending not to enjoy the music.
Bruce was discussing spaceship propulsion with Rocket.
JARVIS stood beside Groot.
Steve had wandered in.
So had Sam.
Pepper watched from the door.
Tony slowly looked around his laboratory.
His laboratory.
Invaded by aliens.
Space pirates.
A half-Celestial prince.
A green assassin who apparently hated family questions.
A talking—
Tony stopped himself.
Good.
Growth.
Peter tossed him a drink.
Tony caught it.
"You good?"
Tony looked toward him.
Then around the room.
"No."
Peter smiled.
"Great."
Tony laughed.
Maybe that was the correct answer.
Then his eyes returned briefly to Peter's biological scan.
The strange cellular energy.
The molecular interaction.
The enormous unknown hiding inside someone currently arguing with Rocket about whether Footloose was one of Earth's greatest cultural achievements.
Tony shook his head.
"JARVIS."
"Yes, sir?"
"Keep Quill's file flagged."
Peter heard him.
"Hey."
"Medical reasons."
"Liar."
Tony smiled.
"Scientific reasons."
Peter pointed.
"Still creepy."
Tony looked back toward the scan.
Peter Quill was half alien.
Half Celestial.
Prince of an extraterrestrial kingdom.
Raised by Meredith Quill and partly by a pirate captain.
Carrying alien weapons gifted by a cosmic king.
And somehow—
that wasn't what worried Tony.
What worried him was that Peter's biology was doing things Tony couldn't explain.
Yet.
Tony looked toward Peter.
Peter had Groot's arm around his shoulders and was trying to convince Gamora to dance.
She threatened him.
He kept trying.
Tony smiled.
Whatever Peter Quill eventually became—
prince,
hero,
cosmic powerhouse,
something else entirely—
Tony suspected one thing would never change.
Peter would remain Peter.
Which, scientifically speaking, might be the most dangerous part.