Attracted by Danger, Kept by Athenaeum (Buy me a drink and I’ll show you my library)
Summary: Vers sees the most dangerous woman in the galaxy in a bar on Hala and goes I want her to step on my neck. Gamora is impressed at the audacity. They both love books.
Author’s Note: This is the pre-MCU Gamora/Vers fanfic no one asked for but my brain was begging me to write. I have been informed that to the extent that there is a sex scene “It wasn’t really smut, it was more like a prelude to smut.” I was also advised that this deserves “a solid T ranking for the use of the word ‘fuck’.” I as the person writing it was convinced that I was going to need to mark this as explicit but apparently I don’t know how ratings work??? I marked it as “Mature” because I wanted that nice middle ground. Make of that what you will and I hope you enjoy the story.
Attracted by Danger, Kept by Athenaeum (Buy me a drink and I’ll show you my library)
Vers was on her second glass of some kind of ale or another when the woman walked into the bar. She knew her of course. Gamora, the favored daughter of Thanos, the living weapon. She was one of his most deadly soldiers and every Kree warrior was taught to be wary of her.
One of the first things she had been re-taught after her amnesia was all of the major players in their sector of the universe. Thanos was not some to ever cross, and by extension his children. Death by their hands was a comparative mercy.
Every movement of Gamora’s screamed danger.
Vers could only remember the last two years of her life, but was almost certain that she had never wanted anyone more.
—
Gamora did not tense when the other woman entered her personal space. Yet she was not at rest either. Was she really foolish enough to attempt to attack her in a bar that was designated neutral territory? That was the whole reason Gamora had chosen this place. Not that anyone dared to attack her these days. Your reputation precedes you. She reflected bitterly, and held back a scowl. No, she let it show. “Do you need something?” she asked sharply.
“I was wondering if I could buy you a drink.”
The woman’s reply was smooth, and bold. Gamora was surprised, despite herself. She was well known within the Kree empire, which meant that the woman was either oblivious, an assassin, or had nerves beyond what Gamora might have expected. Which, she supposed, did not preclude her from being an assassin. After a short reflection Gamora decided that there was no harm in at least feeling the woman out, and getting a free drink in the process. She had not been intimate with anyone in a while. No one would dare. Besides, it was not as though she was defenseless.
She wondered if the woman was enhanced, and that was why she was so bold.
Well, Gamora had always liked a challenge.
—
“Yes.”
Vers was so surprised that Gamora had replied in the affirmative that for a moment she did not even register the response. Once a moment had passed, however, she smiled and gestured for Gamora to come join her in requesting another round from the bartender, who paled slightly on seeing Gamora and immediately abandoned the people he had been attending to before to serve them.
Amused, Vers led Gamora over to her table, which was nestled into a corner booth and could easily see all of the entrances and exits, one of which was close by and led to the back alley escape. Gamora looked appreciative of the strategic position.
“Do people treat you like that everywhere?” Vers asked, curiously.
“Hmmm, only when they know who I am.” Gamora hummed, before taking a sip of her drink. It was something atrociously sweet and fruity that Vers would have never expected an assassin to have. But then again, people could be unpredictable. Vers liked it immensely.
“And you have ways of ensuring that they don’t know who you are, presumably?” she asked with a smile, taking a sip of heer ale.
“Of course.” Gamora paused before continuing, her eyebrow raised. “I do think that you know who I am, though.”
“Oh I know your name.” Vers replied easily. “I know what people say about you. But that doesn’t mean I know who you are. I just know how you present to the universe.” Something in her chest tightened as Vers said this, and she could barely enjoy the surprise on Gamora’s face. She knew that the words had touched the other woman, because they touched her too. Vers didn’t know who she was. She did not know herself at all. She had no memory of her life before two years ago, of how she had grown up, of what had influenced the various quirks of her personality. She did not know whose form the Supreme Intelligence took. She did not even know if Vers was actually her name, it was simply what was written on the only relic that had been found with her. A relic that was broken, just like her sense of self.
—
Gamora soon found out that letting the woman—who she learned was named Vers—buy her a drink was a mistake. Not because their interaction was unpleasant, but because it went a little too well. After Vers’ pointed statement that doesn’t mean I know who you are suddenly they were having a sincere conversation, something Gamora had not engaged in for years. They kept it light, no deep secrets shared—both of them clearly had things to keep close to the vest it seemed—but apparently they both had in common a love for history and Hala’s great library, which was the reason that Gamora was on Hala in the first place.
The library was one of the places she liked to frequent the most as a form of escape, and as Thanos valued knowledge seeking he allowed Gamora time away from his service, as his privileged daughter, several times a year to spend time at a residence on Hala to study there and do research. Many times he had a specific topic for her, but other times she was allowed to simply be there for the sake of her own interest.
This was eye-opening for Vers, who had assumed, wrongfully so she realized, that Gamora was simply one who killed all the time according to Thanos’ bidding.
Vers, on the other hand, did make the confession that she had lost all of her memory before the past two years, and so spent a lot of time reading about the history of the universe and about the place of the Kree in it, about the wars that she was preparing to fight in as a member of the Starforce.
After finishing a second round of drinks—well a fourth for Vers—Gamora made an offer that she had never contemplated before, and offered Vers a visit to her personal library.
—
Vers was incredibly shocked when Gamora invited her back to her home on Hala after only a couple rounds of drinks. While Vers had indulged in more she barely felt it, her advanced metabolism having rapidly processed the alcohol. She had no idea what it was like to get drunk, but based on the reduced reasoning and processing skills that people suffered from, as well as the sickness the day after that sometimes occurred, she did not regret the loss. She wondered if Gamora was somehow influenced by the alcohol and that was why she had made the what felt like uncharacteristic decision to invite Vers back to her home.
Somehow Vers did not think that was the case. She suspected that Gamora was also enhanced and doubted she got drunk easily or at all. Besides, the two of them had undoubtedly connected, and while there was undoubtedly still an edge and element of threat to her that sent a thrill down Vers’ spine, she did not consider Gamora to be a danger to her at this moment.
Gamora walked quickly but Vers easily kept up the pace until they reached her home, which was close enough to the bar that it only took them 10 units. To Vers’ slight (but only slight) disappointment they really did go to her library and look at books. No small part of her had been hoping for a seduction sequence, but she would also never say no to a library.
—
Gamora had no idea what she was doing. She had invited a complete stranger—someone she had known for only a matter of hours—into her most personal space. She knew that many people privileged their sleeping areas, but for her, her books, scrolls, and tablets always came first. And now she had invited Vers to spend time here?
This could not simply be attributed to attraction, because she had been attracted to people before. There were many people that she had welcomed into her bed. She could not think of anyone, except perhaps Nebula, that she had welcomed into her library. Nebula was not the biggest fan of books or research, and so she had only visited once or twice.
“This place is brilliant. Will I be able to come again?” Vers asked with a tone of wonder as she looked around, eyes shining. Gamora could not help but feel flattered, and oddly hopeful. She was very proud of her library. It was the largest room in the house, with ceilings twice as tall as her, and shelves on every wall reaching to the tops of the ceiling. All of the shelves were protected by clear energy barriers that prevented dust and theft, and could be dissipated by a unique passcode or Gamora’s personal energy signature. There were two cozy chairs and a couch, and she had three different sized tablets that could each display a digital version of every book, scroll and tablet if shee did not wish to retrieve it. There was a movable ladder to reach books on tall shelves, as well as a bot that could retrieve books if she did not wish to do so manually.
Something in Gamora’s throat felt clogged for reasons she could not explain, but as she approached Vers, this time stepping into the other woman’s personal space. “I think that could be arranged.” Her voice was delicate, but there was almost a weight to her words.
Vers’ smile was brilliant, and Gamora felt herself smile in return. It occurred to her, then, that she had not genuinely smiled in a long time, until tonight.
Gamora felt herself both surprised and not when Vers kissed her. The initial kiss was rushed, impulsive, clearly one filled with excitement and gratitude, and no small amount of warmth. An almost unusual amount of warmth, actually. The woman ran incredibly hot. Still, she was gone in a flash. Gamora’s eyes had closed automatically, but before she could decide whether to lean in and return the kiss or not, the other woman was gone.
She opened her eyes to see that Vers had an entirely red face, and the look of someone who was about to apologize. She probably had some silly idea that her affections were unreciprocated, as though Gamora had not seen exactly through her intentions when she offered a drink, and as though Gamora herself had not invited Vers into her home with similar intentions in mind, albeit subconsciously.
With two quick strides Gamora made up for the distance Vers had created and grabbed her around the waist. Vers snapped her mouth closed, failing to articulate whatever she had been about to say.
They were the same height, and so were eye to eye as Gamora carded her hand through Vers’ hair before pulling their faces together. This kiss was longer, lazier, slowly growing more passionate. One would think that, both of them being warriors they would be more forceful and yet neither of them seemed so inclined. Still, after a unit or two Vers grew more impatient, and Gamora was pleased to match her as the kiss became more forceful.
Vers reached one hand up from where it had been planted on Gamora’s waist to yank on her hair, causing a moan, and using the other to steer her backward until they tumbled onto the couch together.
Gamora was unused to being pinned underneath another person, and found that while she did not entirely dislike it, she also did not want to give up power that easily. She flipped them so that Vers was the one on her back and straddled the other woman, thankful that her couch was wide enough as to have almost more space one of the narrow beds afforded to those in barracks. She moved away from Vers’ mouth, instead moving to nibble on Vers’ ear and slipping a hand under her shirt.
“Is this okay?” Gamora asked. The breathless yes was music to her ears as she moved to press biting kisses down Vers’ neck. Gamora’s grin increased at the sound of every moan and whimper, and noted again that Vers ran incredibly hot. She must be enhanced somehow. Gamora had lain with Kree before, and she did not recall their body temperature being this high, even while aroused.
Despite this, Gamora found herself less concerned than she perhaps should be. Enhanced where common in this sector of the galaxy, and just because the woman was enhanced did not mean that she was an assassin. And if she was an assassin she was also an incredibly good actress to have fooled Gamora, who felt that she generally had a very good read on people.
Gamora gasped, yanked out of her thoughts when she was yanked up into another kiss, and Vers flipped them over so that Gamora was pinned underneath her again. Vers had also taken her shirt off, and Gamora took the opportunity to caress one of her breasts. Gamora gasped again as Vers’ hands ventured underneath her dress.
“You good?” Vers murmured in between kisses.
“Mmhmm.” Gamora hummed in reply as Vers’ hand moved higher up her thigh. “I think I’d be better if you fucked me though.”
“I think that could be arranged.” Vers laughed.
—
Exhausted, and satisfied, Vers and Gamora did not really think twice before falling asleep together on the couch. It was only the next morning that Vers woke up and took stock of the situation that she registered the strangeness of the situation. She was naked, in more ways than the usual, and found herself looking into the wide eyes of an equally naked Gamora. While it had not happened since she had lost her memories, she had the feeling that waking up with a woman was not uncommon for her, so that was not the source of her shock. She was shocked however, and Vers was sure Gamora was also surprised, if her stare was any indication, that either of them had allowed themselves to be vulnerable enough with each other to fall asleep for an entire night, though to be fair they had continued into the point it could be argued that it was early morning.
Vers was almost certainly playing with fire here… but given the circumstances she would not mind getting a little burned.
Author’s Note 2: If you like my take on this ship check out my series Snap Back to the Past which also features Carol/Gamora and which will be exploring their relationship in more depth, although the versions of the characters in that story have a slightly different backstory. Thanks for reading!