A simple somersault, and Spider-Man landed in the expanive palm of Mantis. He'd been around giants before, giant monsters, giant robots, even giant Avengers. It was quite different to be tiny in the presence of a regular-sized person, and he suppressed a shudder at the feeling of her strength. Taking his eyes off the imposing structures of her fingers, he looked to her face, a wide smile spreading across her features.
"See? We can trust each other, insignificant insect man!"
"Actually, it's the Amazing Spider-Man, miss."
"Awww!" Mantis squealed, bringing her hand up to her face. "You are right in that you are amazingly cute!"
She pressed the shrunken hero to her cheek, nuzzling him fiercely. It didn't hurt, but being squeezed between two such massive, fleshy surfaces found Spider-Man struggling to breathe.
A cough from across the room made the two part, Mantis drawing her hand back and allowing Spider-Man to catch his breath, sitting dizzily in her grasp. Gamora stood in the doorway. "I thought you voted against making him a pet?"
"Oh, this is merely team-building!" Mantis piped up. "A trust exercise, just as Peter Quill taught us!"
"Oh, you know how badly things ended when we tried to get Rocket to participate in a 'trust exercise'," Gamora sighed, nodding behind her. "Anyway, team meeting in the cockpit."
"So we are in space?" Spider-Man asked as Mantis strode after the other woman. Thanks to his spider-powers, he remained steady.
"Of course!" she returned, as she passed through a short corridor to the main control room of the vessel. The other Guardians reclined in chairs while Star-Lord stood before the main view-screen to address them. Gamora slid into her own chair, shooting a cruel glance in Spider-Man's direction before Star-Lord resumed his speech.
"So, now the whole team's here, we can come to a decision. We're halfway between Earth and our employer's planet, so if we want to turn back, now's the time."
"We should return to the Earth planet and subdue the symbiote," Drax growled. "It would not do to disappoint her."
"Whoa!" Spider-Man said, inviting the gaze of every giant in the room, making him feel even smaller. He webbed upward, hanging upside down from the ceiling just before Star-Lord's face. "You mean a symbiote symbiote? As in, 'look at me, I'm a fancy alien suit, oh no PSYCHE I'm actually an alien life-form' symbiote?"
"Venom, yeah," Star-Lord said.
"I know that guy. Bad news. But if you give me a chance to talk to him, maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."
"Little punk might actually be useful!" Rocker sniggered.
"So, what," Gamora said, standing again and walking to Spider-Man, crossing her arms. "Now you want to help us, rather than get back to normal? Forvgive me if I find that suspicious."
"Oh, you find everything suspicious!" Star-Lord laughed, while Spider-Man shuddred again before the immense alien visage dominating his view. Gamora snorted, the exhalation sending Spider-Man swinging in the breeze, before stepping away and sitting again.
"Well, now that you mention it, I would like to be restored to my old, spectacular self as soon as possible, you nutty guys."
"Ain't no way we can get some of that antidote without another even zanier scam," Rocket grinned, displaying a fearsome array of gigantic teeth. "I know a place, and we can pick up some even tastier tech while we're there. Had my eye on it for a while, and with a tiny guy like you on the team, I got a whole new way we can bypass the security..."
"Not sure I'm cool with aiding you guys in a crime..."
"There is no need," Draz rumbled. "Our employer, the illustrious and unparalleled Lady Hellbender, provided us the gas in the first place. Am I the only one who realises the obvious fact that she must possess its opposite?"
"Just one problem," Star-Lord said, stepping past Spider-Man to stand nearer the destroyer, "we don't have the target she paid for, so she won't be too happy to see us."
"Time out, guys!" Spider-Man said. "You are working for someone called 'Lady Hellbender'? Does that not strike you as a sign that she's a bad guy? Was Lord Evilpants busy?"
Once again Gamora stood, gritting her teeth as she brought herself right up to where Spider-Man was hanging, her fearsome green face dominating his world. "Maybe on your backwater planet you have the luxury of standing on the moral high ground, but a group of wanted outlaws like us must take jobs where we can to keep ourselves alive."
Mantis stepped up, placing herself between the deadliest woman in the universe and the wallcrawler. "This one is sure he understands, Gamora! He is merely still disoriented by his new size, yes?" She turned and gave an encouraging nod.
"Uh, yeah, that's it!" Spider-Man agreed. "Sorry for any offence."
"None taken," Gamora snarled, pushing Spider-Man out of the way with her shoulder as she walked out of the room. What would normally be an aggressive move was now almost an attack, her subtle motion smacking the shrunken man viciously, sending him swinging violently.
Mantis cupped her hands around Spider-Man and brought him before her face again. Her eyes searched him for any injury before she spoke. "She does not mean it. Gamora merely takes some time to accept a new team member. Why, it was months before she stopped giving this one a daily clout!"
Spider-Man hoped he wouldn;t have to put up with this for much longer, as he listened for a sign that the Guardians had decided their next course of action...
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