Peter cocked his head.
Sif's remark genuinely threw him off for a second.
Reflexively tracing back his memories, it dawned on him that right after the crisis in Asgard had wrapped up, Sif had pulled practically the exact same maneuver to make her request—following him back to Earth.
The only difference was that Sif had been far more direct at the time, casually suggesting Peter become her husband right out of the gate.
By contrast, Mantis was infinitely more subtle, merely asking for a place to stay.
Yet if you really thought about it... she literally had a biological half-brother standing right there in the Guardians of the Galaxy. Choosing not to travel with her own brother and instead begging a guy she'd known for less than twenty-four hours to take her in—that alone spoke volumes, didn't it?
Glancing over at Sif—who was currently leaning against the console with her arms crossed, sporting a grin that screamed "I'm just here for the show"—Peter genuinely found himself at a rare loss for words.
In the end, he decided to play it impartial, using the exact same tactic he used in the past:
"Why don't you stick with Star-Lord? Isn't he your brother?"
"He actually invited me already," Mantis replied in a soft, gentle tone, her large eyes filled with the innocent directness of someone who had never experienced the wider world. "But I turned him down."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Mantis hesitated for a moment before extending a single finger, gently tapping it against Peter's forearm.
"I can feel what's inside your heart."
A bright, genuine smile suddenly bloomed across her face as she spoke, as if describing something that amazed even her.
"There is so much love inside you. Love for your friends, love for your family... and..."
At this point, she tilted her head, seemingly struggling to comprehend the exact emotion she was sensing:
"A romantic kind of love... as well as a... naughty kind of love... directed at her!"
She suddenly pointed a finger straight at Sif. In an instant, Sif—who had been fully prepared to enjoy the show—felt her face flush bright red, caught completely off guard.
"This kind of feeling..." Mantis raised her head to look at Peter, his reflection vividly mirrored in the depths of her eyes: "...I lived by Ego's side for so long, yet I never once experienced it."
Holy crap.
Peter drew in a sharp breath, suddenly realizing he had severely underestimated the girl in front of him.
Who said she was subtle?!
This direct fastball came out of nowhere!
Gazing down at her, Peter couldn't help but take a closer, more deliberate look at the girl standing in front of him.
Back on Planet Ego, he hadn't paid much attention, but looking closely now, Mantis's appearance was vastly different from what he had expected.
The Mantis he remembered from the films had pure black, glossy eyes with irises so huge they took up almost the entire eyeball. While that look possessed its own unique, quirky charm, it was admittedly a bit far off from standard human aesthetics.
The Mantis standing before him, however, was completely different.
Her eyes were a deep, breathtaking emerald green, crystal clear and entirely devoid of impurities.
Her irises were only slightly larger than a normal human's—not enough to look strange at all, but rather giving off a pure, innocent baby-like charm.
Silky, waist-length black hair draped over her shoulders, paired with slightly pointed, delicate elf-like ears. She didn't look like an insect-derived alien at all; she looked far more like a butterfly fairy straight out of a fairytale.
The only thing that slightly disrupted the overall aesthetic was the pair of antennae sprouting from her forehead.
That part was something Peter personally found a bit hard to get used to.
Indeed, it pulled down her overall look quite a bit.
Before Peter could even say a word, though—
Mantis's expression shifted instantly.
"You don't like my antennae."
It wasn't a question. It was a flat statement of fact.
"It's not that I don't like—" Peter tried to explain on pure reflex, but his words froze halfway through his throat.
Fuck, how did I forget?! Mantis's empathic and mental sensing capabilities were practically on par with Scarlet Witch's!
The second this girl made physical contact with someone, she could pinpoint their exact emotions and thoughts at that very moment.
And right now... her finger was literally pressed against his chest!
Which meant every single idle thought he just had regarding her appearance—
Had been read by her, word for word, in real time.
Faced with such a blunder, even Peter—who was used to weathering all kinds of crazy situations—felt an overwhelming wave of awkwardness. He almost cringed hard enough to dig out a whole three-bedroom apartment on the ship's deck with his toes.
"Uh..." Peter scratched his cheek awkwardly, clearing his throat:
"Sorry about that. I don't think you're ugly—really, I don't. It's just that your antennae... well, for Earth's aesthetic standards, they're slightly... ahead of their time."
Standing off to the side, Sif heard the phrase "ahead of their time" and couldn't resist turning her head, shooting Peter a look that practically said "Are you serious right now?"
Didn't her man usually have an endless charm offensive when talking to girls? How did he suddenly turn into a complete clueless brick?
Just as Sif assumed Mantis was bound to get upset or even burst into tears—
Mantis herself didn't seem offended in the slightest. Instead, she adorably tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and gave a serious nod.
"Ahead of my time... I think I understand what you mean."
"If I go to Earth looking like this, it would definitely cause trouble for the people there, wouldn't it?"
With those words, Mantis lowered her head.
At the exact same time, the two antennae on her forehead began to slowly retract.
Much like a snail retracting its tentacles after being touched, her antennae completely merged into her smooth skin within a few seconds, disappearing without a trace.
When she raised her head again, her forehead was smooth and clear—looking completely indistinguishable from a normal human girl.
"Is this better?" Mantis looked up at Peter, her face brimming with expectation.
"How did you even manage to pull them back like that?" Peter couldn't help asking out of sheer curiosity.
"It's just a natural biological instinct for me," she answered candidly. "Though once I retract my antennae, the range at which I can sense other people's emotions shrinks significantly, and my ability to influence their minds becomes much weaker."
Pausing for a second, her voice dropped a bit lower:
"Ego felt that doing this would slow down how fast I could help him fall asleep, so he never allowed me to hide them."
She said it offhandedly, but Peter could read volumes between the lines.
That so-called "Celestial Father" had treated Mantis as nothing more than a glorified, humanoid bottle of melatonin.
Not only had he never shown her a shred of genuine affection, but he had also treated her entirely as a tool.
That damned old creep—draining him dry was honestly too merciful!
At the thought, Peter couldn't help but take her by the hands, speaking gently:
"If you don't like keeping your antennae retracted, you really don't have to force yourself."
"You're free now. There's no need to force yourself to become something you dislike just to please other people."
Hearing this, Mantis couldn't help but break into a sweet, adorable smile:
"It's alright, really! If given the choice, I actually don't like keeping my antennae extended all the time anyway. They're very sensitive, and keeping them out drains a lot of my physical energy."
"Besides... thank you for saying I'm cute."
"And thank you for caring about me. This is... actually the very first time anyone has ever cared about how I feel!"
"It feels really nice."
"Huh?"
Peter stood there, looking completely bewildered.
When did he ever say out loud that she was cute?!
A second later, he slapped his own forehead in defeat.
Right... she read my mind again!
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.