Title: the subtle compliment of a handmade caress (500 words)
Fandom: Batman: The Animated Series
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Additional Tags: Food, Blindfolds
Summary: Occasionally, a touch of domesticity tickles Ivy and creates the urge to perform such homely tasks as cooking.

Life as a wizard had made him blind to the little indignities. So what if, after a quick glance over, people started snickering? Harry could curse them all - not that he would, but he could.

Not such a loser, eh?

Harry kept his head high and kept walking as if huge half-green, half-muddy paw prints on his chest and pants were exactly the look he'd intended when he left home that morning. "Note to self," he grumbled, motioning at Mouse to move on, "if you're gonna walk the dog on freshly mowed grass, do not play rough with him afterwards."

"Rocket's blushing," Quill said. "I can tell."

You'd think nobody would care, right? Noooo, not on this ship. Drax was OK because he just grunted to show he was listening, pretty polite what with being the one busy with navigation duty and probably not actually caring, but from the corner of his eye Rocket saw Gamora's head go up in a sharp motion, and then she glanced from Peter to him.

"He is," she said, sounding much the same as Quill with the narrowed-eyes vibe to it. A bloodhound sorta aura. Rocket refused to look up from his toolbox to confirm. "The body language is quite similar to a lot of humanoid species', once you spot it, but still ... nicely done, Peter. Now, are you going to start up a con on your new mark, now that you've spotted an in?"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Rocket yelled, and was roundly ignored.

"Always telling you, I've got talents, Gamora. And as for your question - I believe I will."

Rocket wasn't even doing anything with the toolbox. He was rooting around to at least look like he had something serious to think about and because it felt nice to have solid things in hand. He was screwed.

"This is foolish," Drax said, looking at them over his shoulder. "You cannot trick Rocket if you announce attempts at deceit in front of him." His eyebrow arched. "If you have time for 'fun'" (I like all that judgment, Drax, keep it up) "one of you has time to fetch me a drink."

It took a lot for Rocket not to run off and make a three-course meal for the sake of having an excuse to leave, but that would really make the others sit up and take notice. Quill started off towards the galley, dragging his feet and doing some of his finest whining about Drax never remembering to stock up on snacks when it was his turn to do sit-down jobs, and then paused at the cockpit door. "Hey, Gamora. First one to find out what's up with Rocket wins!"

Then he dashed off, and it made Drax sigh. "A liar and cheat..." But he looked fond enough as he turned back to the nav panel.

Gamora stiffened, but stayed lounging in her chair. "Well, Madam Deadly Bored?" Rocket sneered. "You decided you ain't feeling dizzy enough to start up trouble?"

"I'm considering my options." Gamora slanted him a look that came before a smile. "And now I have a challenge from you as well as Peter. Perhaps I should hurry after all."

There she went. Soldier-daughter of Thanos, off on a really dumb scavenger hunt alongside the most ridiculous known Terran to be inflicted on the wider galaxy - it boggled even the titanium-reinforced mind.

Rocket thought about them finding out, because they probably would. He kicked his toolbox a bit, blushing harder.

*

A detour through the ship's communications log (it showed on a corner of the computer screen Drax was on, and he called Rocket over to see) and some rifling through Rocket's porn stash (of course, Peter Quill, of course you would) later, the scavenger hunters did a shipwide call to make sure Rocket was back in the cockpit before they did their 'triumphant return'. He made it back before them - might as well get it over with - and surely this heated face bullshit response to the situation had to lessen over time? Worth a shot, right?

The return consisted of Quill carrying a sandwich and beverage and Gamora carrying Groot in his ease-of-carrying pot with the handles. It looked like she might have been the one to win, but neither of them appeared to care - she was grinning, he was ... Yep. Cooing. All d'aaaws and bright eyes, not a shred of shame to his name.

"He can wag it. Rocket! He can wag it!" Quill said as he handed off the food to Drax.

Ears frigging burning, Rocket turned to Groot. That was a thing he couldn't be reluctant about even under current awful circumstances.

"And he's got the moss growing in different shades, so it mimics your rings! See?" Gamora said, planting the carry-pot right in front of Rocket.

But possibly RTYI

Catherine Cookson's The Moth the film didn't make use of the character's colour-blindness so I did :D