The Sun Came Crashing In || Richard (rchardriders) & Peter (shootingstarlord)

shootingstarlord:

_{It was the small, shocked noise that Peter heard over the com that convinced him. A skrull would have no reason to react like that to Richard being gone for so long, let alone the fact that they wouldn’t have been able to put such a human nuance into the noise.} 

_{Which only brought up more questions. What happened to Richard during those three years? Was he out in space the whole time? No, he would have gotten back to a planet somehow. Somehow Peter would have heard about him being around.}

_{“I only told you it was like a sombrero because you weren’t grasping the basic laws of quantum relativity,” Peter said, false bravado taking an audible hysteric edge.} 

_{Strapping his gun back to his hip, Peter flew closer, “We thought you were dead. I thought that you had died when we tried to take Thanos down. We were both clear on the fact that it was a suicide run and I came back and you didn’t and I hated that. Did you know they made a statue of us, complete with one of those silly eternal flames and a plaque and everything,” he was rambling and trying to calm down Richard but it probably wasn’t helping either of them. The hyperventilating coming through the com made Rich sound like he was already having a breakdown, he probably was.} 

_{He was holding it together better than Peter had when he came back.}

_{"Richard,” he said softer, reaching out to grab his arm. Regardless of how this had happened, he was incredibly happy to see him again and he needed Rich to know that.}

He knew the Sombrero theory — as he had taken to calling it — would prove that he was the real Richard, which he figured he was. Richard heaved a sigh of relief, they both knew that they were both who they thought they were. That would suffice for now.

Peter had came back way before he did, and from the sound of it Richard knew he had some form of survivor’s guilt. They’ve certainly have had their fair share of it. Richard’s mind drifted to the multiple times the Nova Corps had been decimated and he shook his head to clear it. It wasn’t a happy memory. This, right now, was a happy memory. He just hated that he had caused his friend such grief.

“A statue?” He couldn’t help but laugh slightly maniacally. That sounded ridiculous, but yet the sentiment was appreciated. He could ask Peter to take him there some day. Everything had been worth it, Thanos was defeated and they were alive, with statues and plagues in their honour.

Richard looked down at Peter’s hand on his bicep, not realising that they had gravitated towards one another. Screw it, he deserved this, they both did. He grabbed Peter in with both arms and embraced him.

They were hugging it out in space like some kind of cheesy rom com space movie, and he did nothing to stop the laugh that escaped his lips. “I’m so glad you’re alive Pete.” He all but whispered into his ear.