While eating, we were talking about different things. To my surprise, Nebula only knows fight and training, other than that, she barely does anything for fun. Heck, her fun time is behind the walls of the training room or shooting range. And she has zero knowledge about normal entertainment stuff. I mean, seriously?!
Right now, she's explaining to me the story of her childhood under Thanos...
"Six days without food... left in a room to fight. Only the winner gets food..." Nebula recounted her past to me as we ate our meal. "I defeated Gamora fair and square, yet he threw that yaro root near Gamora and told me that I was too weak and hesitated to take her life, so, this was my punishment... Another week without food..."
Her hands trembled.
"That was unfair and harsh," I softly grabbed her left hand and caressed it.
Nebula calmed down and continued, "After that, he tortured me for seven days straight... Seven days with no sleep... fighting and killing those monsters, almost died... I ate those horrible monster flesh to survive. After that, I learned never to hesitate, never show mercy..." Nebula took a bite of her burger.
"I'm sorry..." I apologized, "I didn't know..." I know she had a hard, well, fucking harder life than me under Thanos. I've read it in the comics, but right now, when she's telling me this in person... Her face, that was trying to cope with that emotion, unable to express, trying to suppress her emotions... Man, it feels different.
"No, it's alright. I've already moved on. I'm stronger now. I'm better now. Thanos is dead, so, I'm free from his shadows. But truth be told, there was a time I used to look up to him. His strength, and unwavering ideology... He never wavered from his path, never. But he was wrong till the very end and paid the price," Nebula sighed as she reminisced her past.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Nebula nodded.
"Do you hate Gamora? I mean, she is your sister, but you two are always at each other's throats, and you even tried to kill her, multiple times..." I asked curiously.
Nebula chuckled, "Hate? No. I don't hate her. I loved her. I still do. She was my sister. But she's also my rival or was... Thanos killed her to get the soul stone. And this past version of hers... Well, we had our moments together, but I don't know where we stand right now," Nebula paused for a moment, "To answer your question, we were always at each other's throats because she always won, and I always lost. She never lost after that time when I beat her... She's strong."
Nebula smiled softly as she talked about Gamora. I guess she still cares about her, and since Thanos is dead, they are free from his shadows.
"Tell you want, let's have some fun tonight. Some fun other than blasting targets or punching dummies," I proposed.
"Fun?" Nebula tilted her head and asked with her mouth full of burgers.
"Yeah, we are gonna go to the arcade. I heard there's one small one just a few minutes walk from here," I explained.
"Arcade? Never been there before, what do people do in there?" Nebula asked innocently.
I smirked, "You'll see. C'mon, finish up your meal. We gotta go."
After finishing our meals, I paid the bill and left the diner.
"I liked the burger. It tasted nice, I'm coming back here next time," Nebula commented as we walked toward the arcade. "But why did you pay the bill?"
"Because I asked you out on a date," I replied nonchalantly.
"And?" Nebula asked curiously.
I stopped walking and looked at her with a raised brow, "Dates are usually two people who go out to have fun, eat something delicious, spend time together, and learn more about each other. As for the bills, there are many rules and whatnot, so, let's not get there. Just relax and enjoy the day." I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, "Stop being so tense all the time. You need to chill once in a while. Am I right?"
"Y-Yes!" Nebula blushed as I grabbed her waist.
We arrived at the arcade ten minutes later. It was small but well-maintained. This is my first time coming here. This place is somewhat identical to Earth's arcade.
The neon sign of the arcade flickered invitingly, its vibrant colors reflecting off the metallic surfaces of the busy marketplace. As we stepped inside, the atmosphere was so nostalgic. The flashing lights, beeping sounds, and the excited chatter of the people, well, alien people.
Nebula was looking around like a child who entered a toy shop for the first time.
Nebula's eyes darted around as we stepped further into the arcade, filled with curiosity. The flashing lights and colorful screens captured her attention, and she looked both intrigued and overwhelmed.
"Where do we start?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Wack'a Spacey Mole!" I said as my eyes went toward a somewhat similar Wack-A-Mole machine with aliens.
"What is that?" Nebula asked as she followed me towards that machine.
"This game is called Wack'a Spacey Mole, you take the hammer and wack those moles who pop out randomly. Just be soft and try to apply as minimum smash as you can. We don't want to break anything here," I explained while swiping my card on the scanner near the machine.
I placed the hammer in her hand, "Just keep your eye on that hole and wack those moles softly. Don't worry, it's easy, trust me."
Nebula nodded and focused her gaze on the hole. After a few seconds, the mole popped out, Nebula hit it lightly, and it retreated into the hole. A score of 20 popped up on the screen.
Nebula was smiling, "That's easy."
"Are you perhaps using your eye augmentation? Just shut it down and continue."
"But..."
"Trust me... It's more fun that way."
So, Nebula shut down her eye augmentation and continued playing the game. And surprise, surprise, she got only 60 scores! Nebula looked at me with an awkward smile and then continued playing. She slowly adjusted herself to the game and increased her score by hitting the moles accurately.
Nebula ended up getting a score of 540 and gave a satisfied smirk.
I clapped my hands, "That's great! Now, it's my turn." I swiped my card again and grabbed the hammer, "Watch and learn."
I focused on the holes, and after a few seconds, the mole popped out. I swung the hammer, but unfortunately, I missed it. Another mole popped out, I tried to wack it, but I failed.
"What was that about watch and learn?" She laughed.
I pouted, "Shush! This game needs practice and timing."
After a few tries, I finally got my grooves back. Now, it's time to get serious.
After a few more minutes...
"998... Game over..." Nebula read the score with a bewildered expression, "How? How did you manage to get that high score?!" Nebula exclaimed in awe. "That's the top score on the chart."
"What can I say, I'm pretty good when it comes to games," I rubbed the tip of my nose with my thumb proudly.
Nebula rolled her eyes, "Show off..."
We played a few more games like Alien Shooter, Space Invaders, and many more.
Nebula was having a lot of fun. She was smiling again without holding back. Although she lost many, she also won many. And she did all that without relying on her augmented body. For once, she did things like a normal person.
After spending half an hour playing arcade games, we took a break. Nebula was drinking a blue drink she bought from a vending machine, while I was sitting on the bench, trying to recover from the embarrassment I faced in that damn dancing game. How the heck am I supposed to know you have to be flexible to win it and perform those awkward and weird steps?! There were no instructions there...
"You are so bad at dancing," She rubbed salt on my wound, "Even kids were laughing at you." Nebula chuckled.
"Shut up!" I pouted, "It was my first time playing that game..."
She patted my shoulder, "Don't worry, there's always next time."
I sighed and glanced toward her, "What are you drinking?"
"I've no idea, but tastes like berries and fizz," She held the straw before my lips, "Here, try it."
I took a sip and nodded, "Hmm... Tastes nice. Ooohhh! That's too fizzy." My face crunched up as I felt the carbonated bubbles burst in my mouth.
Nebula giggled at my reaction.
After a few minutes, we resumed playing other arcade games. This time, it was bowling. I'm actually surprised to see a bowling alley here. But why the fuck is this place so empty? Do these aliens don't play bowling? Nebula never played bowling before, so, I had to teach her how to play it.
"Ok, watch me go," I took the first ball and positioned myself before the lane. I swung my arm back and then forward, releasing the ball as I neared the end of my step. I released it perfectly and managed to knock down nine pins.
"Not bad..." Nebula complimented as she stood beside me, "My turn!" She picked up a ball, imitated my posture, and tossed the ball. Unfortunately, the ball went straight to the gutter.
Nebula frowned at her failure and tried again. But this time, she threw it too hard, and the ball flew straight to the wall and broke.
"Oops..."
"Hey! Stop breaking things in there... Even though no one uses the alley, it's still expensive as shit to maintain it. So, behave!" Someone shouted from outside the bowling area.
"Sorry!" Nebula apologized and looked at me awkwardly.
I facepalmed, "It's alright. Just take it easy. No need to rush."
"Okay..." Nebula nodded and tried again. This time, she threw the ball softly and knocked down four pins. "Yes!" She punched her right fist on her left palm happily.
"Good job," I clapped my hands and praised her. Nebula is actually trying her best.
We played for another thirty minutes. Nebula sucked at bowling, but she was improving gradually. In the end, I won by five points. Nebula wasn't happy about her loss, but she didn't make a fuss about it.
"I'll challenge you next time and I'll win," She declared confidently.
"Bring it on!" I accepted her challenge.
"Now, let's play that shooting game," Nebula pointed toward the Holographic Battle Royale game.
"Alright," I nodded.
Thus, we spend God knows how many hours there, playing games till the closing time.
"Thank you, Jack," Nebula said as we walked toward... Well, we were just walking straight with no destination in mind.
"For?" I raised my brows.
"Today, this date... I enjoyed it a lot. This is my first time doing something like this..." Nebula smiled as she kicked an empty can away, straight to the bin a few steps away, "I had so much fun... I don't remember the last time I felt like this... Normal... Without any of these machines in my body. Just me... Thank you."
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