Almost

By this point, Groot would more than likely be considered a 'tween' by Terran standards.

He was getting taller - his head was about at Rocket's shoulders - and his moods were getting more in depth. He was developing his speech a little, with each 'I am Groot' showing more and more emotion each day. He liked to focus on little things for hours on end now, and had grown out of his short attention span. He enjoyed puzzles of pretty colors, and liked to jump out and scare his teammates regularly. He was learning to read bigger words, and to cook, and was even allowed to stay on the ship alone for a few hours at a time now. He was getting big - and Rocket hadn't missed it.

It was on a job in a wooded planet that it really hit him.

It had been a long, long night- And it was only ten PM (Terran time, of course.) This job had been a drawn-out and treacherous one by everyone's standards. This meant a quite long and bumpy walk over coarse terrain to where they were meant to be, a long, boring search for their costumer, a longer, more boring search for their target, a big intense fight, followed by a moderately long, moderately boring collection of their bounty. It had left them tired and short with each other for their long trek home.

Thankfully, there were few injuries - Rocket had been left with a rather attractive cut over his left cheek, Drax a large purple bruise forming over his lips, and Gamora a sprained ankle. (Peter, never one to be left out, would like to add that he had been injured as well - if a stubbed toe from the way up counted.)

What made Rocket notice his friend's maturity was how much help he had been. He still wasn't allowed to help as much as he was as an adult - no where near that amount, in fact - and yet he still proved helpful and important in their journey. He had been a distraction, and a fighter, and even a sort-of 'medic' after the battle was done with. He had done quite well, and Rocket was now pondering on how differently their day would have gone with Groot only a little younger.

He was pondering just how proud he was of his little sapling.

No, he was not feeling fatherly. Only a little proud. That was all.

And then Quill made the stupid remark that Groot was growing up, and then Rocket wasn't able to get the thought from his head.

Groot was growing up, and quite well, if Rocket didn't say so himself. His first cycle had been very, very different from this time. Rocket remembered it quite well; how when they first met on Halfworld (Well, when Rocket first had conscious thoughts of their first meeting on Halfworld) Groot was probably barely past teenaged. How Groot had slowly gone from crying most nights to being stoic and calm. Stoic and afraid but too scared to show it. How what the guards had done to him - gosh, the nasty, demented things they had done to him - had forced him to be an adult when he wasn't ready. Had forced him to be something he was never meant to be. Rocket was glad that this childhood had been so much different, and how it was showing in Groot's behavior. He was so proud, and so glad that even where he couldn't redo his own troubled past, his best friend in the whole world could.

And he was happy, but at the same time… He wasn't. He kind of - only kind of - missed the sound of Groot's tiny feet pattering across the ship at five in the morning to alert everyone he was awake and ready to play with happy little shrieks. He kind of missed how the tiny tree would climb up to his shoulder and perch there, feeling taller than he had been in a while. He missed listening to the little sprout mouthing syllables noisily to get back to his signature phrase, and carrying him to bed when he fell asleep somewhere that wasn't his room, and holding his hand when they walked. He would never admit it, but having the little guy around had almost - almost - softened him a little.

Now, as he was trying to tune out a rather animated argument between Quill and Gamora (feat. Drax the Destroyer on drumset)on the trek back to the Milano, Rocket had finally gotten his head out of that thinking. Instead, he was going over plans in his head - this next weapon he built was going to be awesome. He would somehow need to sneak some batteries from Quill's stash, Groot's old heat lamp, and one of Gamora's gauntlets. He was beginning to think that Drax's pants would make quite a good spill-mat to work on when he heard a little 'oof' from behind him.

He turned, knowing that it hadn't been someone beginning a physical fight as the three arguing were rather far ahead of him. He was greeted with Groot's tired eyes focused on the ground as his pushed himself up off of it. He must have fallen, Rocket decided.

"Need a hand, buddy?" He offered, holding his left paw to his friend. Groot gave a little smile and grasped it, pulling himself up with only slight difficulty. "What's up with you? Normally you'd go on up there 'n' try and get them to be crazy tree huggers and break 'em up. Why's today different? They gettin' on your nerves too much to stop 'em?"

Groot paused and took a breath, more for show than anything else. He shrugged.

"'am Groot." He mumbled, looking down. Rocket nodded in agreement and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm tired, too, buddy. Ain't no use in breakin' those knuckleheads up if they're just gonna go right back at it, anyways."

Groot smiled again, then followed it with a big yawn. Rocket chuckled.

"Me too."

They began walking again, keeping a slow pace as to not get to close to their counterparts' loud, biting words. Rocket almost wanted to go up there and put in his own two cents. Almost.

Something was keeping him back there with the Floral Not-Quite-Collosus, though he wasn't quite sure what.

It wasn't until he heard a small, plaintive coo from behind him that he knew what.

"Ya fallin' asleep back there, kid?" He said, only a little sarcasm in his tone as he looked back.

Groot gave him a tiny pout and a nod.

That was all it took for Rocket's heart to lurch into nurturing. (Rocket would later blame his natural animal instincts to care for young rather than actually admit to having a heart.) He slowed his pace to a stop as Groot caught up to him, the younger's eyes and head drooping as he dragged his feet. When they were side by side, Rocket was reminded once more of Groot's growing size - and all the thoughts from earlier came flooding back.

He was growing up.

He was growing up, but that didn't mean that he couldn't still be babied.

"C'mon up, buddy." Rocket mumbled, squatting slightly and holding his arms back as an invitation for a piggy back ride. He sensed the hesitation in his friend's step, then felt the weight of soft bark and vines on his back. He hoisted the surprisingly light form up higher onto his back and began to walk.

"You tell the other's 'bout this and I'll gut ya."

Groot gave a content burble in response, and Rocket felt the fur on his cheek being nuzzled by the tree's sleepy little head, then heard his breath drift into the steady rhythm of sleep. Rocket himself sighed fondly.

"Don't grow up too fast this time."

And he almost felt a twinge of love in his heart.

Almost.

A/N: i need a snuggie