Groot rushed through the streets of Knowhere and tried desperately not to bump into anyone, which was difficult given his now bulkier, more mature 6'7" frame (and would only get more difficult to handle as he continued to grow), but he was focused on one thing and one thing only right now.

He knew a lot of people here, and the Flora Colossus considered them his friends. But then he had his family, which sure, had shrunk now that Quill and Mantis had left to go on their own journeys, the other version of Gamora returned to the Ravagers, and Drax and Nebula chose to stay on Knowhere to help lead its people following the attack by the... insert untranslatable word here who had put Rocket, his father figure, through so much hell in the past. He'd already lost him once when he was caught in the Snap, and to nearly lose him again ached the poor tree's spirit. But he was alive, his dad was alive and was now leading the Guardians' newest iteration, Groot by his side.

And then... there was you. The wandering soul who arrived on Knowhere in search of an escape from the stresses of the past, only to be faced with several of them in the months that followed your arrival. He and the other Guardians had done their best to help ease your mind, but after recent events... he needed to check on you now more than ever, because damn it, with everything else happening, he forgot to.

When he found you playing with some of the baby raccoons they'd freed from his 'collection', a faint smile of relief crossed his wooden face. You then looked up at him, slightly taken aback, and the cubs skittered away to go look for food.

Groot nervously wrung his hands together, his timid gaze flitting from the ground to you.

"I-I... I am Groot...?"

You had a vague enough knowledge of Groot's language to know what he'd asked: 'Are you okay?'

...

You nodded.

And then, out of nowhere, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a hug.

"I am Groot... I... I am G-Groot."

That meant 'I was worried about you. I missed you.'