"Get it together."

It takes Thor a moment to process that Rocket had just slapped him, and it was decidedly the least helpful thing the rabbit could have done. If he wasn't so upset, and perhaps if the one slapping him had been a little bigger, he would have returned with a blow of his own, but his emotions slowed his reflexes and meant Rocket kept ranting before he could do or say anything. Thor was so close to going over the edge at this point that he didn't catch all of it, but the last part. That last part. That stood out.

"...and help me get my family back?"

Family. The idea of the people you fight with being the people you drink and sing and love with was so built into his culture, so absent from the Avengers, maybe that was why he'd been so enamored the Guardians after his short time aboard their ship. That was obviously what the strange band of space-farers was if the snarky stories he'd heard so often were anything to go by, but...

Family. Thor had never actually heard Rocket call them that before.

"...Okay."

"Are you crying?"

"No," Thor choked. "Yes."

"Get it together. You can do this." Rocket paused, mustering up his best attempt at being soothing. "You can do this, all right?"

But he couldn't. He'd wound up running away, leaving Rocket to handle the entire mission by himself while he spent time they didn't have with his mother. Looking back, Thor realized Rocket had very uncharacteristically never given him a hard time about that. In additional retrospect, Rocket along with Hulk had gone out of their way to find him, neither one with a metal suit or a magic hammer or any way to travel to New Asgard quicker than the back of a pickup truck.

Rocket may not have used the word "family" very often, but he lived it. That, Thor knew, was why he'd jumped at the invitation to wedge himself into this strange little crew, if only for a short time until destiny found him again. Now, Rocket had ran off somewhere crying, Groot had followed shortly after, and the rest of Thor's new family was dead quiet, the only notable movement being Mantis' glowing antennae paired with a pitiful look directed at the pilot.

"Why not simply apologize to him then?" Mantis asked, as if anybody needed emphatic abilities to get the massive aura of guilt coming off Quill.

"I don't..." Quill ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know how to take something like that back."

"It's simple," Drax said. "You walk up to Rocket and say you take your devastating insult against his five years of emotional trauma and grief back." Quill lets out a single dry chuckle and rubbed his temples, but after a few more moments of quiet his eyes widened with a realization.

"...Five years," Quill breathed. "He's been mourning us longer than he's known us."

With that, Thor could take no more and left the bridge after Groot.

Maybe it was a little devious of Groot to use Rocket's current "I missed you so much and I love you and I want to spend more time with you," state of emotional vulnerability to finally get his dad to try Arcade Defender, but shooting pixels into oblivion really did seem to be helping the violent pilot calm down.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, I see the portal."

"I am Groot!"

"No, I don't want to waste the power-up alright? I'm saving it for - damnit."

"I am Groot!"

"No, I blew up because you're a distracting little twig! Quit backseat driving or... whatever you're..." Rocket noticed Groot looking at the door and turned to see Thor poking his head in. The asgardian had been quietly watching the moment, not wanting to interrupt. "Oh. Hey. You coming in or what?"

Thor put on his best smile for his friend (the tear stains were still visible) and sauntered into the room, eyeing Groot's game console. "Ah yes, Tree's Earth game! Which button do you press to dance tauntingly at your 99 opponents?"

"What?"

"Er, nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Mmm." Rocket started a new game. Groot grinned ear to ear over how much Dad was enjoying one of his favorite things. The fact that Rocket may not give it back till he beat Groot's high score would sink in later. "So what do you want?"

"I... simply wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rocket mumbled absentmindedly as tiny enemy ships exploded.

That felt too easy. The last time everyone seemed fine and Thor left them alone he'd come back to find Tony with a broken arc reactior and equally broken heart. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah, sure. Look, Quill says stupid crap all the time, alright? It's not that big a deal."

"Yes, except you don't normally cry about it."

That, Thor realized from the way Rocket's expression fell, had been a mistake. "Groot, take over." Rocket shoved the console at Groot, who kept playing as requested but was mostly giving Thor a look that was hard to decipher. "So, what Thor? You here to tell me what a big baby I was for crying and running away, huh?"

Ouch. "Well, I'd hardly be one to talk, now wouldn't I?"

Rocket clearly didn't expect that and his hard expression weakened. Thor had plenty of pride, but only when he'd earned it. "Yeah. Exactly. So why did you come down here?"

Why did Thor come to Rocket's room? Did he think he would be able to comfort Rocket if Groot hadn't been able to? How conceited of him to even consider such was possible.

"I'm sorry. I simply felt that maybe my presence could be of some use to you, but perhaps that was arrogant of me." Rocket stood on his bed to get closer to Thor's eye level. Thor in return lowered himself as much as he deemed wouldn't offend. "It has been a long time since I have felt part of a family. I don't want to lose this one that you invited me to be a part of so quickly over something I could have helped fix."

Rocket stared him down, skeptic. Groot had long since abandoned the game and was watching the two of them carefully.

"Rabbit, you are a dear friend to me. When you arrived to visit me in New Asgard, I felt nothing but joy despite my condition. I hope one day I can earn your trust so that you see my presence in a similar light."

Rocket's expression didn't change. "I am Groot." 'That's asking a lot.'

"I know, Tree," Thor smirked, "but one can hope."

"Yeah, well, hope all you want, but right now I'm fine and having an important private discussion with Groot, so go away."

"Right..." Thor sighed. Rocket's aloof attitude reminded him of his brother sometimes - maybe either of them returning his familial feelings of love and goodwill as strongly as Thor gave them was indeed too much to hope for. He stood and headed for the door.

"Oh, uh, Thor? One more thing." Thor braced himself for a quip about the door or making sure to take all of his hair with him. "I'm sorry."

"...For what?"

"What do you think, genius? Slapping you when you needed my help. I'm sorry, alright?"

Thor smiled, touched by Rocket's unexpected kindness. "Of course, Rabbit," he said as he exited Rocket's quarters, "All is forgiven."

"Oh, and make sure all your hair leaves with you."

There it was. Rocket would be fine.

A/N: I loved how emotionally vulnerable Rocket was on Asgard. He's also horrible at mental healthcare and I wanted to address that. Don't slap your anxious friends, kids!

If I have to live with the knowledge that Thor probably thinks all Earth games are Fortnite now so do all of you.