Chapter 05

Published: 04 March 2025
Words: 939
AO3 mirror

Nebula is only gone for a two days. In the grand scheme of things, Mantis doesn’t have to wait long at all, but it feels like forever when she doesn’t really know if Nebula will return at all, despite what Gamora says.

In the moment, the wait is agony. She wants to believe in Nebula, but it’s hard. Every hour that passes leaves her more and more certain that she had scared Nebula off. Maybe Nebula hadn’t been ready to confront these feels, hers and Mantis’s, and maybe now she never would. Maybe she’ll retreat further into denial, taking all those feelings and smother them, pretend they didn’t exist until they don’t.

The idea of that hurts, but not as much as the though that Nebula might not want anything to do with Mantis at all after this. Even if Nebula doesn’t want Mantis, she hopes that Nebula will still want to be friends, at least—

And then Nebula comes back.

Mantis thinks she would be more excited than she is; she expected she would be happier, but she’s all nerves as she waits for Nebula’s ship to dock in the hangar. The rest of the team is with her. Gamora waits for her sister to disembark, while Mantis and the others hang back a little for the time being.

Peter elbows her lightly, smiling crookedly at her as he leans closer. “See, Bug? She can’t resist you.”

“Perhaps she does return your affections,” Drax agrees, and pats her back hard enough to make her stumble.

When they’re finally alone together, finally standing in the same room again, just feet apart…well, the tension between them is heavy—awkward. Nebula is trying to seem calm, but she’s stiff in both posture and tone, and she won’t quite look directly at Mantis. She looks deeply uncomfortable.

Eventually, Mantis breaks the silence, trying to put her at ease. “I’m glad you came back.”

Nebula is wearing her usual frown, and her brows scrunch a little lower when Mantis speaks. “Are you surprised? I told Gamora I would.”

“Well,” Mantis says slowly, “you did take off without warning.” She tries not to sound any sort of way about it, but Nebula must pick up on it, because she winces and shifts uncomfortably.

“I panicked,” she admits grudgingly. “And I had to think.”

A nervous giggle escapes Mantis, and Nebula’s frown deepens. In answer to her unasked question, Mantis explains, “Gamora may have told me a little bit about how you freaked out.”

Nebula sighs. “Of course she did.”

Mantis smiles. “She was just trying to make me feel better.”

Nebula’s weary expression turns a little curious and a little worried. After a beat, she asks, “About what?”

Mantis shrugs, fidgeting under Nebula’s scrutinizing gaze. Her intensity has a way of making Mantis feel like she’s been pinned in place and laid bare. “I thought I had scared you off,” Mantis finally confesses. “I’m sorry I was so forward. I really thought you felt the same way.”

“I—” Nebula swallows and inhales deeply, taking a steadying breath. “You aren’t…wrong. I do like you. I enjoy spending time with you. And I look forward to our calls.” She says this haltingly, like every word is a struggle to get through.

Mantis’s smile finally returns at this. She looks pleased, which doesn’t help how Nebula is feeling about all of this. Nebula looks like she wants to die—she feels like she’s dying. This is—she is not good at this. She thinks she might prefer gnawing her own arm off than admit this all out loud.

Mantis is kind enough to ignore Nebula’s floundering, although Nebula is sure she’s fighting off laughter from the way her smile curls at the corners.

(And maybe she is. Mantis can’t help how charmed she is; Nebula is cute when she’s flustered.)

“I like you too,” Mantis says. “I like you a lot.”

“I know.” Nebula’s voice comes out strangely strangled, and Mantis thinks that’s cute, too.

Mantis tilts her head. “So…what did you decide?”

“If you are still interested…I would like to go on that date.”

Mantis’s smile broadens. “I would love to.”

“I’ve never done this before,” Nebula warns very seriously. “Dating or…any of this relationship stuff.”

“That’s okay, neither have I. We can figure it out together.”

Mantis steps closer and reaches for Nebula, and to her delight, Nebula meets her partway, lifting her hands from where they had been clenched at her sides and allowing Mantis to take them in her own.

The fluttering in Nebula’s chest is back, and she doesn’t know if it’s her or Mantis, but maybe it’s both of them, their affections looping between them.

Nebula clears her throat and says, “So, that date…”

“Tomorrow?” Mantis offers hopefully.

“Tomorrow works,” Nebula agrees.

She feels an immediate and shocking pulse of warmth and fondness and eager joy, radiating from Mantis’s fingertips and washing over her like a wave.

Nebula can’t quite believe this is happening. There’s a part of her that still thinks this is a bad idea, still thinks that Mantis is making a terrible mistake, but Mantis is still holding her hands and she’s beaming up at her, nothing but fondness in her eyes.

“It’s a date,” Mantis says.

And then she’s pulling Nebula closer, which is almost as startling as the realization that Nebula is letting her.

This is dangerous, Nebula thinks, seconds before Mantis kisses her and Nebula’s concerns melt away, drowned in the warmth that pulses through her and into Mantis and then back again.

Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

Notes:

Original AO3 Note: i meant to post this sooner but i got sick for like a week sorry guys

okay! it's done! usually i just post anything i write all at once because i worry i won't finish it otherwise so finishing this was nice. the power of bugborg,,,, i hope the lack of their date isn't too disappointing but i'm happy with this as the endpoint :> and hey maybe i'll revisit this again and write a little something for their date later idk