Never Have I Ever The Second Game

Plot: The Guardians play never have I ever again.

Tone: Slice of life, humourous

"Never have I ever again?" Rocket asked, folding his arms.

Quill shrugged. "What can I say? It's a good, competitive get to know you game. Plus, we have a new member of the crew so I thought it would be fun."

He gestured to Gamora, who sat beside Nebula on the opposite end of the table. Loki sat between Quill and Mantis. Everyone held up ten fingers and the madness ensued.

"Alright, Gamora, you're new to the group. Wanna go first?" he asked, gesturing to her.

She shrugged. "Never have I ever played never have I ever."

"WHAT?!" Quill exclaimed, dropping a finger.

"She can't do that!" Rocket protested, gesturing to Gamora.

"She just did," Drax grunted, lowering a finger. Everyone but Gamora kept their fingers up.

"I am Groot."

"Well that's a bit intense," Rocket commented, standing up in his chair. Nebula and Gamora grunted, putting their fingers down.

"What was the question?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Tried to kill my sister," Quill replied, gesturing to Gamora and Nebula. "It was probably just to make them lose a point."

"Um…" Loki lowered his finger.

"Oh my god!" Quill gasped, slamming his hands into the table.

"Since when did you have a sister?" Mantis asked, turning to him.

"Adopted, technically," Loki replied with a shrug. "I never met her until she tried to destroy Asgard so I helped my brother defeat her and destroy Asgard." Silence descended upon the ship.

"You stopped your sister from destroying Asgard… by destroying Asgard?" Rocket tilted his head to the side.

"Yup," Loki replied, snorting with laughter.

"That seems counterproductive," Drax commented, raising an eyebrow.

Loki shrugged. "Well, Hela drew her strength from Asgard so it actually did make sense… We saved the people, that's what mattered."

"And so it begins: discovering more and more weird things about Loki." Quill gestured to him, smiling.

"My favourite thing about this game," Mantis added with a giggle. Loki's cheeks reddened. She's so cute when she laughs...

"We know," Rocket grunted. "Alright." He folded his arms, glaring right at Mantis and Loki as he added, "Never have I ever stayed up late watching Avatar."

"Dammit," Loki sighed, putting another finger down. Mantis did the same, her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, seriously you guys have been doing that every night for like a week," Quill replied, gesturing to them. "How far in are you, anyway?"

"We're in the middle of season two," Mantis replied, smiling.

Quill turned to Gamora. "Never have I ever punched someone in the face," he replied, his eyes narrowed.

Gamora snorted with laughter as she put a finger down. "Worth it." Nebula and Drax grunted as they put a finger down as well.

"Your turn." Quill gestured to Loki.

He thought for a moment, then smirked and replied, "Never have I ever kissed someone on the lips." Quill and Drax each put a finger down, grunting in disappointment.

"What a sad life you lead," Quill replied, gesturing to Loki.

"What? Because I haven't kissed anyone?" Loki shrugged. "Come on, it's not a big deal." He gestured to Mantis that it was her turn.

"Never have I ever been sarcastic." A sea of sarcasm crashed down on the ship as everyone put a finger down.

"Wow! What a wonderful question!"

"Now that's completely fair!"

"Such fun!"

"Oh, I love this question!"

"I am Groot!"

Mantis giggled into her hand the entire time.

"This does not seem like a situation to speak so happily," Drax commented, keeping his fingers up.

"Yes, that's the joke," Loki replied with a nod.

"Oh, ha ha ha," Drax laughed dryly.

"What'd you do that for?" Loki asked, nudging Mantis playfully.

"I thought it would be funny…" Mantis smiled triumphantly. "I was right." Loki looked away smiling.

Drax cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Never have I ever had a crush on a Star Wars character." Loki, Mantis, and Quill hung their heads in shame as they each lowered a finger.

"Can you blame me?" Quill asked, looking around. "Leia is so hot!"

Loki nodded at him. "And Han Solo and Obi-Wan? How could you not love such snarkiness?"

"And Ben Solo!" Mantis added, smiling brightly. "He was a jerk at first but wow did he have a heart of gold."

"And nice flowing locks," Nebula added, snorting with laughter. The others chuckled around her.

"Kinda like yours, Loki," Rocket added with a wink.

"Oh, not this again," Loki grunted, resting his hand on his forehead. "I am nothing like Kylo Ren."

Rocket let out a chuckle. "Dude, you guys practically look the same, you've both got daddy issues, you were both once villains, and you've both got weird magic powers." Loki looked away. That's exactly what Tony said...

"You're practically the same person," Quill replied, gesturing to Nebula that it was her turn.

Clearing her throat, she replied, "Never have I ever sang bad karaoke with headphones in."

"How did you know?!" Quill demanded, slamming his hands into the table.

"I saw the past version of you during the time heist to save the universe," she replied, gesturing to Gamora.

"Never have I ever been punched in the face in a restaurant," Gamora replied, her lip twitching up. Quill growled as he lowered a finger.

"When was that?" Rocket asked, raising an eyebrow.

"During our trip to find Gamora," Quill replied, clicking his fingers on the table. "We found her at a restaurant and she punched me in the face."

"Because you were being a creep," Loki added, rolling his eyes. "Bit of an important detail, there."

"Okay, yeah, I kinda deserved it," Quill admitted with a shrug.

Gamora chuckled. "Yeah, you did. She gestured to Groot.

���I am Groot."

"Never have I ever forgotten my own age," Quill murmured to Loki. Loki and Mantis put their fingers down, letting out grunts.

"I'm supposed to remember my age?" Loki murmured to Mantis, raising an eyebrow.

"I know, right?" Mantis replied, smiling. The two chuckled to themselves.

Rocket stood up. "Never have I ever abandoned us to go look for Gamora," he replied, glaring right at Quill.

"Oh, come on," Quill grunted, lowering a finger.

"Seriously, why did you do that?" Rocket asked, folding his arms. "You never gave us a straight answer."

"Because you didn't want to look for her the first time," Quill grunted, looking down at the floor.

"You mean when Thanos was trying to kill everybody?"

"I am Groot," Groot chimed in, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, it was a stressful time, can you really blame us?" Silence descended upon the ship. Loki's heart pounded in his chest as he gazed at Quill and Rocket, glaring at each other like animals about to attack.

"I don't, I just…" Quill let out a grunt. "Ugh, let's move on. "Never have I ever fought someone while drunk."

Rocket growled as he lowered his finger. "Alright, we're even." They all glanced at Loki, waiting for him to say something.

"Oh! Um… Never have I ever… Broken something while drunk." Rocket and Gamora grunted, lowering their fingers.

"Never have I ever been drunk," Mantis replied, smiling brightly. Pretty much everyone put a finger down except Mantis and Nebula.

"Why am I losing again?!" Quill exclaimed, gesturing to the two fingers he still had up.

"You're an easy target," Rocket replied with a shrug.

"You're constantly picking fights," Drax added, his eyes narrowed.

"You've just done everything," Loki replied, chuckling.

"Never have I ever rambled nonstop about Star Wars," Drax replied, glaring right at Quill.

"I do not ramble nonstop about Star Wars!" Quill protested, folding his arms.

"You and Loki fought like animals over Revenge of the Sith," Nebula replied, gesturing to the two of them.

"Oh, don't get me started on that!" Quill rested his hand on his forehead. "I don't know what you see in that movie, but it sucks!

"You just hate it because you're determined to hate the prequels," Loki replied, leaning back in his chair. "If you actually watched the movie you'd see that it actually tells a great story."

"You just like it because it's dark!"

"I like it because it actually explained why Anakin turned to the dark side and him being regretful is important for his redemption in Return of the Jedi." Silence descended upon the ship.

"Anyways, put your finger down, both of you," Nebula replied, lowering her own finger while gesturing to Loki and Quill. They grunted, but obliged anyway, along with Rocket, Groot, and Mantis. Loki had two fingers up while Quill had one.

"What is Star Wars?" Gamora murmured in Nebula's ear.

"It's a movie series that Loki and Quill showed us," Nebula murmured back. "We'll show you someday if you're interested."

"But no prequels!" Quill cut in, standing up.

"I'll watch them if I want," Gamora replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, never have I ever been kidnapped and held for ransom."

"Oh, come on!" Quill exclaimed, putting his last finger down. "What the hell?"

"You lost again," Mantis replied, giggling into her hand. Loki chuckled as well. The others laughed hysterically, hitting their fists on the table.

"You're next, Loki," Nebula replied, her lip twitching up. Loki's eyes widened.

"I am Groot," Groot replied, lowering a finger. Drax and Mantis grunted, lowering their fingers as well.

"Turned to dust?" Rocket asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you say that? You just lost a point!"

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, you're not that far ahead, don't get cocky," Rocket replied, rolling his eyes. "Never have I ever been addicted to video games." Groot grunted, lowering a finger. He, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax were now tied for first with five fingers each.

"Never have I ever been handcuffed drunk," Quill replied, standing up and glaring right at Loki.

"You're never going to get over that, are you?" Loki asked, lowering his last finger.

"Woah, woah, what?!" Rocket exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"I am Groot?!" The other guardians, save for Nebula and Quill, were looking at Loki as if he had just spontaneously combusted.

"When was this?" Drax asked, tilting his head to the side.

"During our trip to find Gamora," Loki replied, leaning back in his chair. "Long story short, Quill, Nebula, and I got taken prisoner and put in handcuffs. I had been at a pub earlier so I was still drunk."

"Oh…" Rocket sighed in relief. "I kinda thought the handcuffs were voluntary when you first said that."

"Um… No…" Loki cleared his throat. "Anyways, never have I ever written fanfiction…" He let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, none of us."

"Do you think we'd be good enough to write fanfiction about?" Quill asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I know I would be," Loki replied with a wink.

"A fanfiction about you would have every warning possible," Nebula replied, grinning.

Quill snorted with laughter. "Yeah. Warning: Gore, violence, language, drug usage, and sexual content." He counted off each one on his fingers.

"Sounds about right," Loki replied, chuckling a bit. The others laughed as well.

"Never have I ever held an Infinity stone," Mantis replied, smiling. Drax, Nebula, and Rocket lowered their fingers, growling.

"Never have I ever revealed Quill's darkest secret to everyone," Drax replied, glaring at Mantis. She lowered her finger.

"Darkest secret?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow at Quill.

"She told everyone that I liked Gamora." Quill cast a glance at Gamora. "The other Gamora."

"Never have I ever been flirted with," Nebula replied, glancing at Gamora as she growled and lowered a finger.

"Never have I ever turned against Thanos," she replied, eyes narrowed at Nebula.

"You did that too," Nebula replied, nudging her sister as she lowered a finger.

"Dang it…"

"I am Groot." Nebula, Drax, and Rocket lowered their fingers, muttering something about Xandar.

"Never have I ever tried to push a button that would kill everyone," Rocket replied, glaring at Groot. The tree tilted his head to the side. "You did that, you may not remember but you did. Put a finger down." Loki chuckled.

"I am Groot," Groot muttered, putting a finger down.

"You guys can continue with the questions," Quill replied leaning back in his seat. "This is too fun to watch." Loki nodded, glancing at Mantis.

"Never have I ever disliked a Star Wars movie," Mantis replied, her eyes narrowed at the others.

"Oh, come on," Rocket grunted, lowering a finger. "You have to admit, Phantom Menace sucked."

"It wasn't that bad," Mantis replied with a shrug.

"What about Rise of Skywalker?" Nebula asked, lowering a finger as well. "Attack of the Clones?"

Mantis smiled and shrugged again. "All fun to watch."

Drax let out a yawn, lowering a finger. "They were all boring."

"I am Groot…" Groot grunted, also lowering a finger.

"Never have I ever liked a Star Wars movie," Drax replied, glaring at Mantis. She sighed, lowering a finger.

"NO!" Rocket gasped, lowering his last finger.

"Damn you, Drax," Nebula growled, also putting down her last finger. Mantis and Groot put down their fingers. Now Drax, Gamora, Groot, and Mantis remained in the game. Gamora was in the lead with three fingers still up while Mantis and Drax were tied with two fingers and Groot held one finger up.

"Nothing wrong with liking Star Wars," Quill replied, gesturing to Nebula and Rocket.

"Shut up Quill," Nebula growled, gesturing to Gamora.

"Never have I ever seen Star Wars." Mantis, Drax, and Groot all grunted and lowered their fingers.

"This is stupidly unfair," Rocket grunted, folding his arms.

"I am Groot," Groot nodded, putting down his last finger.

Drax leaned toward Mantis. "Alright, let's you and me team up to get her out," he murmured in her ear. Mantis nodded.

"What has she done that we haven't?" Mantis murmured back, casting a glance at Gamora. Then she smiled. "Never have I ever served Thanos." Gamora glared at Mantis, lowering one of her fingers without a word.

"Never have I ever…" Drax grinned. "Been stalked by Quill."

"I did not stalk her!" Quill exclaimed as Gamora lowered a finger.

"She seems to disagree," Loki replied, nudging his shoulder. All three players were now left with one finger up.

Gamora glared at Drax. "Never have I ever been loved in return." Drax lowered his last finger, looking away with a sigh.

"I loved you," Quill replied, gazing at Gamora.

"Doesn't count," she growled, flicking her hand dismissively. "What about you, antennae?"

"I haven't…" She glanced down at the table, her cheeks reddening. "Not to my knowledge at least."

"Unless Loki here isn't telling us something," Quill added, nudging his shoulder playfully.

Loki's heart skipped a beat. "W-what?"

Quill facepalmed, mumbling to himself. "Are you kidding me? How oblivious is he?" He glared at Loki. "When we're done with this game, we need to talk."

"Okay?" Loki replied, his eyes wide. He turned to Mantis, who held up one finger as she glared at Gamora, who did the same.

"Never have I ever... beat someone up in a restaurant?" Mantis replied, forcing a smile.

"I did not beat him up," Gamora growled, rolling her eyes. "I punched him once and he fell over."

"You were going to do more before I stopped you," Loki argued, glaring at her. "I'd class that as beating him up."

"Okay, fair enough," Gamora growled, lowering her last finger.

"I won!" Mantis gasped, jumping to her feet.

"Good job," Loki replied, his cheeks blazing as he gazed at her. Everyone stood up and went their separate ways. Rocket and Groot were mumbling to each other as they walked up the stairs, Gamora and Nebula following them.

"Are we still on for Avatar?" Mantis asked, glancing at Loki.

Quill gestured to Loki. "Actually, I needed to talk to him."

"I'm sure it will only take a moment," Loki replied, glancing at Mantis. "I'll meet you upstairs."

"Okay," Mantis replied with a wave. Loki and Mantis smiled at each other. She made her way upstairs, leaving Loki and Quill alone in the lower deck.

"So what did you want?" Loki asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Um…" Quill sat down in front of him. "Sorry, if this is a bit of a personal question but… uh… Do you like boys or girls?"

"Yes."

"No, I mean…" Quill snorted with laughter. "Do you have a preference?"

"Gender is an illusion and so is death."

Quill cracked a smile. "Okay, um…" He looked away, clearly thinking through his response. "Have you ever uh... thought about dating anyone in the group?"

Loki's eyes widened. "Quill, you're a good friend but I don't like you in that way."

"What, no?!" Quill facepalmed. "Oh my god Loki! You might be more oblivious to this crap than I am!"

"What are you talking about?" Loki snapped, glaring at his friend. Why is he asking me these questions?!

"Mantis!" Quill snapped, slamming his fists into the table. "You freaking like her!"

Loki stiffened. "What?! N-no I d-don't…" His eyes widened when he realized his cheeks were red and he was flaring with the same warmth he used to feel when he thought of Tony. "Oh no, not again…" Loki rested his hand on his forehead, trembling like a leaf in the wind. He glared up at Quill. "Well, even if it's true, there's no way she likes me back. She's too good for me."

"What, and Tony wasn't?"

"Tony was married, you asshole!" Loki snapped, slamming his hands into the table.

"I… I'm sorry." Quill looked away. "But… this is different from Tony."

"How?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have a chance with her," Quill replied, nodding to his friend. "And I think she likes you too."

Loki let out a sigh. "Don't tell her anything about this."

"What, why?!"

"I don't know how I feel, alright?!" Loki growled, standing up. "I don't want to act on feelings I don't understand. Just leave it."

Quill let out a sigh. "Okay fine." Loki turned and walked away up the stairs. He turned toward his room, spotting Mantis sitting in front of the computer.

"Hey, there you are!" Mantis stood up, her eyes bright as she gazed at Loki. He couldn't meet her gaze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Loki sighed, walking past her. "Just… confused."

"What did Quill want to talk to you about?" Mantis asked, tilting her head to the side. Concern laced her tone.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it," Loki replied, sitting down in front of the laptop. "Anyways… I'll feel better when we watch Avatar."

"Okay…" Mantis sat down next to him, starting the episode.