[ Okay, Quill, he tells himself, scrubbing his face with his hands. Okay, Quill. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Don’t— ]
How the hell should I know?!
[ —ah, okay. Looks like it’s yes, freak out, actually.
Peter clearly regrets the tone as soon as he snaps the answer back, though, and he winces. ]
Sorry. [ And he sounds sincere, at least, unlike his usual perfunctory apologies. The last thing he needs right now is to alienate the only person who would kind of understand why he’s freaking the fuck out. ] Sorry, I didn’t mean to—
[ His expression crumples around the edges, twisting as he nervously licks his lips. He tries to force himself to calm down, but it’s only marginally successful. Still, he manages a slightly more sedate response this time: ]
I don’t know. I haven’t— I have done that since...
[ And he swallows down the words. (They still haven’t really talked about any of that shit, have they? Vague mentions, here and there, but well over half a year later, and Peter still can’t bring himself to give voice to all the shit Ego told him, all the shit Ego did to him, all the shit Ego had done to ruin the lives of anyone who had the misfortune of meeting him.)
His hand twitches in a vague, truncated sort of gesture. ]
no subject
How the hell should I know?!
[ —ah, okay. Looks like it’s yes, freak out, actually.
Peter clearly regrets the tone as soon as he snaps the answer back, though, and he winces. ]
Sorry. [ And he sounds sincere, at least, unlike his usual perfunctory apologies. The last thing he needs right now is to alienate the only person who would kind of understand why he’s freaking the fuck out. ] Sorry, I didn’t mean to—
[ His expression crumples around the edges, twisting as he nervously licks his lips. He tries to force himself to calm down, but it’s only marginally successful. Still, he manages a slightly more sedate response this time: ]
I don’t know. I haven’t— I have done that since...
[ And he swallows down the words. (They still haven’t really talked about any of that shit, have they? Vague mentions, here and there, but well over half a year later, and Peter still can’t bring himself to give voice to all the shit Ego told him, all the shit Ego did to him, all the shit Ego had done to ruin the lives of anyone who had the misfortune of meeting him.)
His hand twitches in a vague, truncated sort of gesture. ]
Since. You know.