#/ tullk and oblo are good bois

[seekspatharc]

⸻   𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒

having been living on earth for at least 10+ years, corvus has felt that his schedule has settled down enough to the point that he could have some animal companionship. after doing his proper research and what, corvus purchased two husky puppies from reputable breeders; a black and white husky with blue eyes and a sable-colored husky with brown eyes.

he named the black and white husky after tullk and the sable-colored husky after oblo, both of them were close friends of his during his ravager days.

both of them are house-trained and corvus makes sure that the both of them get plenty of exercise and playtime, even occasionally taking them out of the city to explore more of the countryside or go somewhere with more cooler weather.

considering they’re huskies, their shedding is considered legendary and corvus always tries to maintain their upkeep ( and he knows a spell or two to keep his clothes dog-hair free )

tullk and oblo are trained to obey certain commands, mostly so they can walk around without the need of a leash in areas that allow dogs to walk around without them.

when he sleeps, sometimes they tend to sleep on him, so people have stumbled upon two full-grown huskies just laying on him. corvus doesn’t mind for the most part.

they’re huskies, they can be loud and when they sing the song of their husky kind, corvus always makes sure to soundproof the room and he offers ear plugs if out in public.

both tullk and oblo are always up for pets and cuddles, they rarely distrust people, but when they do, corvus knows something is up.

[dindjarin-mandalorian]

Comfort Food (Young Peter Quill & Yondu Udonta)

A/N: This is one of several completed Yondu fics I wrote a few years ago and found sitting forgotten in a folder on my laptop a couple of weeks back, and I'm slowly making my way through them to get them all posted eventually. I'm not going to do much editing (just a glance-through to find glaring typos), and I feel like my writing has improved since then, but hopefully they'll be enjoyed. :)

Summary: A young Peter Quill has recently been abducted by the Ravagers and is struggling to come to terms with the meal options.

Warnings: I don't think there are any, but if I've missed one, just let me know.

Yondu didn’t see much of Peter at first after he brought him to the Eclector. As soon as Kraglin let go of him, Peter took off running and no one saw him for hours. Tullk eventually heard him crying in one of the storage rooms and immediately reported it to Yondu, who ordered food to be set outside the room occasionally, though it was never touched.

After a few days, Yondu was making one of his many trips past the storage room when he realized the boy was standing just inside the door instead of hiding behind the boxes in the back of the room.

Yondu stopped walking and stared at the Terran. Peter quailed a bit at the formidable sight and started to back into the room again, but stopped when Yondu spoke, though he flinched at the tone.

“Why ain’t’cha eatin’, boy?”

Peter took another step back and shook his head.

“What’s wrong? Can’t ya talk? I ain’t believin’ I got a Terran that can’t talk. Guess it’s a good thing I ain’t keepin’ ya fer yer talkin’.”

Peter’s brows constricted. “I can so talk!”

Yondu raised a brow. “What else can ya do?”

“I can do lots of things!”

“That right? Well, how ‘bout answerin’ my question.”

Peter looked down at the tray and made a face.

“My food ain’t good enough fer ya?”

“What is it?”

“It’s food. That’s all ya need ta know.”

“It doesn’t look like any food I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, ya ain’t seen much.”

Something in the bowl chose that moment to splash around and Peter yelled as he backed up a little more. “It… it moved!”

“Course it did. It’s better when it’s fresh.”

“I’m not eating that.”

“Then I guess yer gonna starve.”

Peter’s eyes filled with tears.

Yondu wasn’t used to tears and didn’t know how to deal with them, so he decided to handle it the same way he handled his crew. “Yer gonna eat it or yer gonna starve. Ain’t no other options.”

“Can’t we go to the grocery store?”

“Tha grocery store?”

“Yeah, that’s what… what my mom did when we needed food...” He trailed off quietly and looked at the floor as his hand moved to his Walkman on his hip. Yondu didn’t think Peter even realized he’d done it.

Yondu was decidedly uncomfortable at this turn of the conversation. “Ain’t no grocery stores ‘round here.”

A tear slid down Peter’s cheek. “Where… where are we?”

“We’re on our way to Morag.”

“Where’s that?”

“Near Xandar.”

“Where’s that?”

“Listen, boy, I ain’t got time fer no geography lessons.”

Peter looked at the floor again, and Yondu sighed. “We’ll go ta Xandar. They got some shops that sell Terran stuff. Maybe we can find some Terran food fer ya.”

“What’s… what’s Terran food?”

“Food from Terra… where yer from.”

“I’m… I’m from Earth.”

“Earth, Terra, whatever.”

Yondu’s wrist communicator beeped. “What is it, Oblo?”

“About to land on Morag, Cap’n.”

“Change of plans. We’re goin’ to Xandar.”

“But Cap’n, I thought we’s goin-”

“I said change of plans! Get us to Xandar.” He disconnected the call and turned back to Peter. “Come on.”

Peter hesitated, then followed Yondu down the hall, giving the bowl with the still-splashing creature in it a wide berth.

___ 

As they walked to the store that sold Terran food, Yondu realized he had no idea what kind of food to feed a Terran.

He cleared his throat, then asked, “So whad’dy’all Terrans eat?”

Peter opened his mouth to answer, then stopped, his thoughts swirling. He realized he had a unique opportunity to never have to eat his least favorite foods ever again.

“Well, boy?”

“Oh, well, candy is the biggest food group. We eat it for most meals.”

“Candy, huh? What’s that?”

“It’s… it’s got lots of vitamins in it. Helps us kids grow.”

“Huh. What else?”

“Pizza is also good for us. And ice cream and chips.”

“Well, surely this shop’ll have some of that stuff.”

As they entered the shop, Peter made a beeline to the Terran candy. “This is the best stuff for us. Chocolate. Oh! And these, too.”

Yondu narrowed his eyes and Peter was afraid Yondu had figured it out, but Yondu only said, “I ain’t payin’ an arm an’ a leg fer all this, so ya better jus’ pick out what ya need. I ain’t stockin’ up fer a year.”

Peter released a breath. “Okay.”

Yondu turned to look behind him. “What’re these?”

“Oh, those are… um… vegetables. They’re… they’re only for special occasions. Kids only get them if they do everything their parents ask them to do. We… we don’t get them often.”

He tried to look longingly at the broccoli to sell his story, but found it hard to do.

“That right?”

Peter nodded.

“Well, we ain’t buyin’ no veg’tables today. Ya gotta earn ‘em!”

Peter tried to look disappointed. “Okay.”

“Here, get some more a these candy bars. An’ ya better eat ‘em all or I’m gonna… gonna eat’cha.”

Peter’s eyes went wide. He had no problem with eating the candy, but he was taken aback by Yondu’s threat. Surely he wouldn’t eat him… Little did he know that it would soon become Yondu’s favorite threat, along with “Ya better do what I say or there ain’t gonna be no vegetables fer ya!”

Peter filled his basket with candy, frozen pizzas (which would have to do until he figured out how to have pizza delivered to the ship), and several tubs of ice cream. Yondu picked up a few more candy bars, not wanting the Terran to starve.

“Oh! I need to get something to drink. Like, um, soft drinks and chocolate milk. Water is… bad for us.”

Yondu quit walking and stared at Peter. “Water’s bad fer y’all? That don’t sound right.”

“Umm… maybe not bad. But… uh… we shouldn’t have it too often. We’ll… um… get… water sickness.”

“Water sickness?”

“Yeah, it’s bad.”

“Well, jus’ don’t drink too much of it. I ain’t gonna be worryin’ ‘bout takin’ ya ta no doctor.”

“I won’t.”

“’Cause if I catch ya drinkin’ too much, I’ll eat’cha!”

Peter’s eyes went wide and he nodded.

___

Back on the ship, Peter was trying to distract himself from his current situation by sorting his new stash of junk food. The fact that he’d lost his mother and been taken from his grandparents and his planet hadn’t yet sunk in completely. He turned up the volume on his Walkman and opened a candy bar, his mother’s favorite, as he laid down on his jacket to listen to the music.

[sevi007]

I have this headcanon that Oblo was the most artistic out of the rough bunch and actually liked things like crafting or painting.

So I have this little headcanon that Peter was completely fascinated with all kinds of tattoos that the Ravagers had and had Oblo paint those blue markings on his face like Tullk has (he actually wanted the tattoos that Kraglin has on his neck, but Oblo insisted that Peter is too ticklish for those, not even gonna try it).

And while they are right at finishing the painting job, Tullk comes in and sees them and like – “Pete, what’s with yer face, lil’ buddy?”

“I look like you!” Peter explains, pointing at the new markings while Oblo slaps his hand away with a, “Yer gonna ruin the paint if ye touch it.”

Mouth opening and closing for a moment, Tullk is at a loss for what to say, just stares at the delighted child until Peter falters and whispers to Oblo, “Is he okay?”

“Okay?” Tullk exclaims, bending to pick up the child who protests loudly, holding him up until they are on eye-level. “Okay ain’t no word for it! I got a mini-me! That’s flarkin’ awesome, Petey!”

“Put me down, idjit! Tullk, put me down!” Peter screeches in laughter as the man tucks him under his arm and marches out of the room with the child trapped like that.

“Nah Pete, everybody gotta see my mini-me now. Their all gonna be jealous.”

“I’m not your mini-me! Oblo, help!”

“Yer both gonna smudge the paint ye idjits,” Oblo mumbles with a grin as he stashes his stuff away to follow the unlikely duo.

This whole thing is followed by Tullk thrusting Peter into the face of every guy they come across, holding the boy under his arms while he shows him off and Peter is just like “Yo, what’s up?” every time and Oblo is laughing his ass off in the background.

They even show it to Yondu, who stares blankly at Peter for a moment – Peter looks back just as blankly, by now pretty tired of being carried like that – before he turns around, just leaving them standing there, and walks back to the bridge.

 Once Yondu finds an empty corridor, he breaks down laughing.

[colormeyondublue]

Yondu & The Secretary  Chapter 2: The Love Bug

Chapter 1 Here  Chapter 3 Here A few months go by aboard the ravager ship. You find out that Yondu is the Captain, and Kraglin, the Xandarian, is his first mate. The ship is called the Eclector, and some of the guys on board are total pigs. Yondu sets up a small office space for you to work out of and you find that the work is surprisingly simple. You get into a routine and start to really settle in. You also come to find that Yondu is particularly kind; to you. To the crew, he could be a total ass. Your slight attraction to the Captain was only a thought when you first met him on Krylor, but every day it kept growing and growing with how sweet he was. Maybe it was because you were a woman? Maybe it was because you were Terran? You couldn’t be sure. This might become a problem.

One evening, your office door creaks open loudly, and you hear heavy boots thunking into the room. Yondu. You smirk softly at the thought. “So, you goin’ to Geff’s little get together?” The Captain’s voice came from behind you as you finished up the data entry from the crew’s last heist. It was Geff’s birthday. The boys decided to throw him a little party at the bar on the ship. “Me? Heh, no…probably not.” You hadn’t looked at him yet, but something caught your senses. Something, different. Something…intoxicating. Was Yondu wearing cologne? Whatever it was, it was messing with your head. It smelled like the forest back home – right after the rain, blended with tones of spices and notes of musk. “Well, why the hell not?” He seemed a little surprised. Hurt, maybe? You spun around on your desk chair to face him, “Hmm…. let me put it to you this way: I am not about to be the only female on the ship in a room full of drunk Ravagers. I already get harassed and catcalled on a daily basis, Yondu! Why on Earth would I want to put myself in a situation like that?” “You Terrans sure do use the strangest expressions. We ain’t on Earth…uh….Terra I mean.” He said with a chuckle. The small chuckle at his own words made you giggle too. “Well, regardless, I just don’t think it would be very wise of me to put myself in a bad spot, that’s all.” “Well I’ll be there. I can make sure no one bothers you too much. Then would you go?” “I don’t know Yondu…I mean Geff is great and all but –“  You were cut off by loud laughter and heavy footsteps of several ravagers going past your office door. A lot of the boys were already headed to the bar to get the party started. “ – but I don’t want to be a bother. Besides, if you show even the slightest bit of protective behavior around me, couldn’t that start rumors? Wouldn’t they think it was odd? Some of these guys really talk…”

Yondu scoffed with a slight wave of his hand. “Who cares what these idiots think. I’m the Captain, and I can protect whoever the hell I feel like. Besides, how am I supposed to keep my shit in order without my assistant who helps with our operations? The boys will probably understand that their payouts could get disrupted if they mess with our lil’ secretary, right? Everybody knows you don’t mess with a Ravager’s units.” He finished with a wink. That wink…that smirk…his scent…oh no. Your head starts to feel fuzzy. Your sternum is growing tight, and butterflies explode by the thousands in your stomach. You feel like your arms are floating. You start to notice that your head seems to be wobbling a little bit and you find yourself staring at his lips. Stop being stupid! Say something! Get a grip! His smile starts to falter after a moment or two. “Uhh…you alright?”

Your clear your throat a little louder than you wanted to, and manage to say with a shaky voice, “Uhh, yeah, no, yeah…I’m – I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little tired is all. But, fine. I’ll go, but only for a few drinks. I’m not staying out all night! I have more things I want to get updated in the system before you and Kraglin start gathering intel on your next mission.” “Fine, fine. Just a few drinks.” He motions with both his hands in the air. It did not turn out, however, to be just a few drinks. It started out that way, but the more you drank, the more you wanted to be close to him. The alcohol was making you feel a little too confident. The captain was drinking too, of course, but Centaurians have to drink quite a bit before they really start to feel anything. He was on his fifth glass of whiskey for the night, and you were on your third. You were definitely tipsy, but not terribly drunk. The scent coming off him just kept smelling better and better, your senses were stirred, and you wanted to dive into him. You are sitting next to each other on the couch in the lounge that was connected to the bar. You both listen to stories and jokes being told by Tullk, Oblo, and Kraglin. Laugher is plentiful, and you couldn’t be happier. Then, you feel your Captain move next to you as he throws his arm over the back of the couch behind you. The shift in the cushions causes you to inadvertently lean closer to him. Your cheeks turn bright pink and your heart starts pounding. You sit up straight, put your drink down on the table and politely excuse yourself. The others were too drunk to notice, or care, but Yondu notices. After a moment or two he gets up and follows you to the bar. You hastily get yourself a tall glass of water, and chug it down. “What was that about back there? You alright?” He asked. “Feelin’ sick?” “No, no I’m fine. I just think it’s time I headed back to my cabin. I need to get some sleep. I have an early start tomorrow.” You said as you put your glass down on the bar. Yondu eyes you suspiciously, but doesn’t press the matter. “Can I at least walk you back? These boy’s is pretty drunk. I don’t want you to run into any trouble.” “Yeah, I guess that would be alright.” You fiddle with the empty glass on the bar in front of you. What am I even doing? Do I really have feelings for him? Is this seriously happening? What the hell am I supposed to do?! Your job on the ship is simple: free up the first mate’s time by entering new recruit information, keep transmission logs up to date, work up data sheets for new missions, and keep an updated archive on clients, easy heist planets, kree intel, etc… That was it! Nowhere in your job description are you supposed to fall for your Captain, your boss! “Well…should we be headin’ out?” Yondu’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. You looked over at him, his eyes were touched with slight concern, confusion maybe. “Captain, I….” You began, but the words just stopped coming out. You close your mouth and shake your head. “Never mind, I’m ready. Let’s go.” You both walk slowly back your cabin. Yondu is silent, as are you. The only sound to be heard is both yours and Yondu’s boots clunking down the walkways of the Eclector. When you approach your door, you hesitate.

“Goodnight Captain, thank you for walking me back. I appreciate it…and thank you for having my back tonight. I was able to actually relax and have a nice time.” You begin to open your door and walk in when you feel a large, warm hand on your shoulder. You turn to look at his hand, and your eyes trail up his arm to his shoulder, and then to his face. You both lock eyes, and your heart stops. “Why do you keep callin’ me that? Captain. You haven’t really called me that much since you boarded for the first time a few months back.” “I – I’m sorry. I just…you’re the Captain.” He took his hand from your shoulder, “Yeah, I know that. But it just feels wrong somehow. You typically call me by my name when we ain’t around the crew.” You couldn’t help but smile a little. “Alright, Yondu.” You said with a slight chuckle. “Is that better?” “Yeah. I like it when you call me by my name.” A small tinge of purple comes to his cheeks. “But don’t go tellin’ anybody that! You still gotta’ call me Captain or Sir around the crew.” “Hahaha, of course. I promise I won’t tell a soul. Cross my heart.” You used your index finger to draw an X over your chest. “I swear, you Terrans are odd…I don’t even know what that means.” You giggle again, “It means I’m serious. As serious as I can be. I won’t tell anyone. You have a reputation and status to maintain with your crew, and I completely understand that.” You turn and step into your cabin. Looking over your shoulder you smile a small, bashful smile at him. “Goodnight, Yondu.” With that, you closed your door. Yondu stood at the closed door and quietly said, “Goodnight, Darlin’.” He continued to stand there, frozen in place. What the hell was that? Why do I feel funny? My heart is pounding, my head is reeling. I care about what she calls me? Since when? Darlin’? When have I ever called anyone that? He shook his head to free himself of where he stood, and walked back to his quarters. You laid in your bed that night, unable to sleep. A big, stupid grin would not leave your lips no matter how hard you tried to get rid of it. Oh. My. Gosh. I cannot believe this. I can’t believe how hard this hit me. He’s so unbelievably handsome. His scent was so intoxicating. I didn’t know he wore cologne? And that smile?! Who knew blue could look so damn good. You giggled out loud to yourself. “I have a crush on the Captain. I have a huge freakin’ crush on Yondu Udonta. What the hell?!” You continued to giggle to yourself until you heard a group of footsteps going past your door. More ravagers were headed to bed from the party. You quickly covered your mouth as if someone could possibly hear you. Once the footsteps were gone, you continued to smile and giggle like a little girl. “Wow. What on earth and am I going to do? How do I even begin to handle this?” You said to yourself. Your mind raced, and sleep eluded you all night. Meanwhile, the Captain wasn’t sleeping much either. You kept popping up in his head. Every time he would close his eyes, you appeared. It wasn’t until tonight that he realized that you looked incredible in your maroon leathers. He had always thought you were attractive, ever since he and Kraglin decided to hire you when they met you on Krylor. But this was a whole new level of attraction. It made him feel…different. He had never felt this way before, he felt vulnerable. He did not like it one bit! But on the other hand, he did? It was starting to piss him off. He threw the furs and blankets from his body and got out of bed. He picked up a communicator brace from his nightstand and pushed a few buttons. It beeped a few times, and Kraglin’s sleepy voice could be heard. “Yes, sir? Everythin’ alright?” “Boy, get to my quarters. I need to talk to ya. I’m havin’ a problem.” “Right away sir.” Yondu shut the brace off and tossed it back on the table. Within a few minutes there was a knock on the door. Yondu got up and walked to the door, flinging it open. Kraglin rubbed his eye with a fist and yawned. “What’s goin’ on Sir?” “What’s goin’ on is I need to talk to ya. Maybe you’ll know what to do…get in here!” Yondu yanked Kraglin into the room and slammed the door shut. “Siddown.” He muttered as he pushed his desk chair to the first mate. Yondu sat on the bed and fiddled with his hands for a moment. “Sir?” Kraglin asked. “What do you need help with? Somethin’ goin’ on with the crew?” “No, but there is something goin’ on…I’ve been feeling funny all night. Ever since I went with y/n to the bar for Geff’s party, my head has been fuzzy, my chest is tight, my hands are all shaky and I can’t sleep! It’s pissin’ me off! I don’t know what the problem is. I only went with her to make sure the boys didn’t do nothin’ stupid, but now I can’t think straight! Every time I close my damn eyes, I see her!” A smirk appeared on Kraglin’s face, and he started snickering at the Captain. “What?! The hell is so funny?!” Yondu barked. Kraglin’s snickering turned into full blown laughing. He couldn’t help it. Was his Captain so oblivious? “Sir, sir, I’m sorry. You really have no idea what this is?” He asked. “No! If I did, I wouldn’t have woke you up to help me figure it out, damn it!” “Sir, it sounds to me that you got bit.” Kraglin joked. “Bit? Bit by what? Like a bug or somethin’?” “Ohhhh yeah, it’s happened to me before too. It’s a nasty little sucker.” He said with a grin. “Okay, so what do I do? Am I getting’ sick or somethin’?” “Yeah, you’re sick all right. Love sick.” The first mate said with the biggest shit eatin’ grin on his face. “Lovesick? What the hell is that? That ain’t a real thing.” Yondu snorted. “Sure is, Sir. From the sounds of it, you got bit by the love bug. The only way to cure it is to get some lovin’ from the person who sent it after ya.” Kraglin couldn’t believe this was happening to his captain. This was too good. Of course, he wanted to help him out, but he wanted to taunt him first. “What on Earth are you talkin’ about boy?! Just spit it out already!” The Captain shouted. A goofy little smile appeared on his lips as he realized he just used your expression. Damn it, girl. “Alright, alright.” Kraglin said between laughs. “Cap’n, you’re in love. Plain and simple. It sounds to me like you just realized it tonight.” “Love? I don’t love nobody. I ain’t never been in love before. This can’t be right…” Yondu started searching his hands for some kind of alternative answer. “Anyone can fall in love, Cap’n. I know I have. But that was a long time ago, before I joined the crew. It really ain’t a big deal, honest. Tell me, when you think of y/n, what do you feel?” Yondu pondered Kraglin’s words for a few moments. “I feel – happy. Warm? Maybe a little nervous. Unsure of myself, ya know? I wanna touch her, make her smile, make sure she’s safe and happy, hold her hands... kiss her.” The realization hit him like a blazing meteor. “I wanna kiss her? What?! I’ve never cared about that sentimental crap before!” Kraglin just shook his head and looked down at the floor. “Cap’n, love is a strange and mysterious force. It can be exhilarating. Maybe you should investigate and find out if she feels the same way. Could be worth a shot. Who knows? Could lead to somethin’.” Yondu looked confused. “Like what?” “Heh, I don’t know, happiness?” Kraglin shrugged his shoulders and stood. “I hope that helps Sir. I’m gonna head back to bed if you don’t need anything else.” “Yeah, sure, boy. Go on.” “Night, Cap’n.” The first mate headed toward to door, but before he walked out, he heard the Captain’s voice behind him, “Hey Krags, uh, thanks.” “No problem, Sir.” Kraglin walked out of the Captain’s quarters and quietly closed the door. Yondu got back into bed, stared at the ceiling above him and smiled. Love huh? Well, ain’t that some shit.

[shyficwriter]

Shots

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Yondu x Reader, guest starring Peter

Summary: Based on this prompt from anon: "Reader gets drunk for the first time - like REALLY drunk - and Yondu does nooot like it"

Author's note: Title sucks but I couldn't think of anything better. I was actually drunk when I wrote most of this (it's when inspiration finally struck to fulfill the prompt lol) but I obviously finished and edited it sober. That being said, I feel an obligation to say that the things Reader does in this story aren't necessarily written from experience, I was just trying to think what the most embarrassing things you could do while drunk would be lol. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2,470

One thing was certain, and it was that Yondu was going to shove his arrow up his ravagers' collective asses.

Yondu had long suspected you wouldn't be able to handle your liquor ever since you became old enough to drink. He noticed how you always got tipsy after just one beer, however luckily, you always stopped after around two, so it had never really been a problem.

Until tonight, that is. Because everyone was celebrating a big score gone well and Peter thought it'd be fun for you to take shots with him and the guys. Now Yondu had to deal with you being drunk off your ass.

He had pulled Peter aside and growled at him to knock it off earlier that night after he noticed you taking the first shot, saying, "The girl can't handle her liquor, boy! Don't be giving her any more, ya hear me?"

This was met with Peter calling Yondu overprotective, but he ultimately conceded and swore that he wouldn't give you anymore shots.

But Yondu hadn't said anything about Oblo, Tullk, or Horuz, had he?

The others thought it was real funny how giggly and expressive you'd get when drunk, so it didn't take much convincing from Peter for them sneak you shots when Yondu wasn't looking.

By the time Yondu noticed what had happened he was pissed.

He marched over to where you sat next to the guys. You were laughing your ass off at a dumb joke Tullk made, and you were surprised when you saw him and the other three jump up and high tail it out of the way without explanation.

Then Yondu sat in front of you.

"Heyyy!" you giggled, playfully shoving the captain in the shoulder. "Wassup?"

Yondu's eyes narrowed. "How much did you have?"

"What?"

"How much to drink, girl. I know they were giving ya shots, how many?"

You giggled and pretended to look yourself over. "I dunno what ya mean, I haven't been shot." You then preceded to laugh your ass off at what you thought was a hilarious joke.

"PETER!" Yondu snarled, looking around but unable to find the Terran. Kraglin happened to be walking by just then so he settled for pulling him in to see if he could answer the question. "Krags, did'ya happen to see how many she had?"

Kraglin was startled at having been suddenly jerked towards the two of you, but he answered as honestly as he could. "I'm not exactly sure, Cap, but I think I did notice her have at least four? Maybe five? Why?"

Yondu released the first mate's sleeve and sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Dammit. I'm gonna kill Quill." he said, before standing and pulling you up from your seat. "Come on. Yer going to bed." he said gruffly.

"Aw! But I don't want to!" you whined as he dragged you from the bar, unable to even really walk straight.

"Tough." Yondu said. "I don't like ya getting drunk like this. It ain't good fer ya. You'll only get into trouble."

"But ya let the other guys!" you pouted as the doors swung shut behind you and Yondu.

"They can handle it. Ya can't." he said flatly. Almost as if on cue you stumbled and almost brought the two of you down. This caused you to giggle madly as Yondu lost his grip on you.

"Catch me if you can!" you squeal in delight as you take off down the corridor.

Yondu swore under his breath as he ran after you. He might've called his arrow to stop you in your tracks, but he was worried that your drunk ass would accidentally run into the flarkin thing if he stopped it in front of your face to halt you.

Luckily for him you weren't exactly fast in your drunken state and he caught you quickly, grabbing you about the waist and pulling you back.

You squeaked at the contact, batting him away. "That tickles! Don't!" you giggle, squirming away.

Yondu rolled his eyes and sighed, moving his hands to instead rest on your shoulders as he steadied you.

The next couple minutes were relatively quiet, you were just softly giggling and babbling about nonsense while Yondu kept guiding you down the corridor to your quarters.

You were about halfway there when you were hit with a sudden and bad urge to pee. "Wait a sec." you drunkenly slur to your guide and before Yondu could even react you had already pulled down your pants and had squatted to take a piss in the damn hallway.

Once Yondu realized what was happening he jerked back and looked away, both not wanting anything to splash back on him, and also obviously not interested in looking, grateful that your jacket had blocked anything he might have seen before he reacted and looked away. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his face flushed with embarrassment and irritation at the situation, but there wasn't exactly a whole lot he could do about it in the moment, it had just happened so quick. He waited until he heard you stand up before looking back.

"I can't believe ya just pissed on my floor." he grumbled, side-stepping the mess and calling up Kraglin to send someone down to clean the ... "spill..." in the corridor leading towards the crew quarters.

He finally got you to your quarters and ushered you inside so you could sleep it off. He started to nudge you towards your bed when you suddenly announced you were going to be sick.

Yondu's eyes went wide, and not wanting a similar incident like what had happened in the hallway he quickly ripped a nearby trashcan from the floor and shoved it towards you.

After you had finished vomiting you placed the trashcan back on the floor and stumbled back into a seated position on the bed. "I don't feel well..."

"Gee, I wonder why." Yondu said bitterly, arms crossed over his chest. "Ya need to go to bed."

Just then your eyes flew open and you dumped yourself onto the floor, pulling the trashcan back towards you as you began to vomit again.

Yondu sighed. If anyone were to ask him about what he did next he'd deny it. He knelt down next to you and gently pulled your hair back so that you wouldn't get sick into it, and there he stayed for a good bit while you emptied the contents of your stomach.

When you had finally finished you sat up and leaned your back against your bed. Then, almost as if noticing Yondu for the first time you leaned into him and hugged him tightly.

He was almost warmed by the gesture, but then to his chagrin, you started bawling.

He made a grimace but returned the hug tentatively, occasionally giving gentle pats to your back with a "There, there." not really knowing what else to do.

Well, except for one thing. He glanced up to see the door was still opened, and without disturbing you too much from your places on the floor, he kicked it closed. No way in hell was one of his crew going to walk in on this scene and see him being all soft and shit. No way.

Eventually you did start to quiet down and then Yondu attempted to gently prod you into standing up so you could get into bed. Unfortunately for him, you only mumbled nonsense and nuzzled in closer like he was a damn teddy bear or something. So, he gently pried your arms away from him so he could stand up before helping you to your feet.

He had gotten you halfway into bed when it happened. You got sick again. Only this time you didn't use the trashcan. You got sick on him.

Yondu's stomach churned but he kept it together, Taking a not-so-deep breath (because of the smell) to keep himself from angrily setting off. There'd be plenty of time to yell at you in the morning, he reasoned.

He quickly put you the rest of the way in bed and luckily you seemed to fall asleep the moment your head hit the pillow. However, not before mumbling out a, "Night, dad." Yondu raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't give himself time to dwell on it. He was eager to leave and get cleaned up.

He was about a quarter of the way to his quarters when he came across a laughing group a ravagers cutting up and being silly in the corridors. It was Peter, Oblo, and Kraglin, and they all stopped laughing when they noticed both the murderous look on their captain's face and the mess of sick on his clothes as he approached.

Yondu didn't stop to talk. Merely glared at them as he made his way past. "Not. A. Word." he growled at their surprised faces.

They obeyed, but it didn't stop their giggles once they thought he was out of earshot and they put two and two together. You were really gonna get it in the morning, they thought.

***

The next morning Yondu gave extra cleaning duties to Peter and the other ravagers who got you plastered the night before. He didn't say it was punishment for what happened, after all it wasn't like there was a rule against it, but they still knew he was mad. He had woken them up at 5am to tell them to get started while everyone else slept in, after all.

He called you into his quarters shortly after and you made your way over hungover and groggy, the previous night mostly a blur.

You lightly rapped on his door to announce your presence and flinched when you were met with a loud "Come in! It's open!"

You opened the door and groaned as you entered the room that Yondu had made uncharacteristically bright by seemingly turning on every freaking light he had. Through squinted eyes you made out the form of your captain and you cringed again when he called out in a booming voice, "Have fun last night?" making your temples throb.

Basically, Yondu was being a dick.

You grunted in response and he spoke up again. "So, ya remember anything from last night?" he asked, randomly speaking certain words louder than they needed to be, just to make you further regret your hangover.

You rubbed a hand over your eyes and made another grunt while shrugging your shoulders.

"What was that? Couldn't hear ya." he said, a slight smirk playing over his lips.

You groaned and spoke up, "I dunno. Had some drinks with Peter and the guys, went to bed?" You honestly didn't know why he had to call you in so damn early. Whatever mischief you got up to with the guys couldn't have been that bad that this couldn't wait until noon.

"Oh hoho, no!" Yondu laughed almost bitterly, clapping his hands together with a loud pop that made you flinch in pain from the loud noise. "Ya did a lot more than that, missy."

You just stared up at him weakly, half not giving a shit & wishing to go back to bed and half worried you had done something either dangerous or embarrassing.

"I s'pose ya don't remember getting sick all over me?" he asked.

Your eyes flew wide, your former grogginess forgotten. Oh no. Please let him be joking. "I'm- so sorry." you stammered, both in embarrassment and in concern for how he was going to deal with you for that. Surely you wouldn't get off scot-free for vomiting on your captain. "I- sorry- I-" you didn't really know what to say. You had apparently thrown up all over your captain the night before. What could you say?

"Oh that ain't all." Yondu said in a tone that was obvious it was about to get worse.

Your stomach fell. What could possibly be worse than having drunkenly vomited on your captain? You could feel your cheeks turning pink as you cringed and asked, "Do I wanna know?"

"Prob'ly not, but I'm gonna tell ya anyway." Yondu said, his hands on his hips. "Ya remember when ya pissed in the hallway?"

Your face turned scarlet. "What?! Please tell me you're joking."

"Nope. Ya ripped yer drawers down and popped a squat right in the corridor."

You covered your burning face with your hands. That. That was what could be worse than throwing up on your captain- literally pissing on his floor in front of him. This was so humiliating, and it only got worse once you realized you probably did it in front of the rest of the crew too. You lowered your hands and asked, "Oh god. How many people saw??"

Yondu wanted to scare you a bit and tell you that you did it in front of the whole crew, but he saw tears start to form in your eyes and just couldn't bring himself to do it. "Lucky fer you, no one but me. Ya did it when I was dragging yer ass to your quarters to sleep it off. Ya didn't get sick on me til after that."

Oddly enough, that didn't make you feel much better. You tried to wipe the tears from your eyes. "God, I'm never drinking again."

Yondu scoffed with a laugh. "Yeah, I've heard that one before. Ain't no one who's ever said that follows through though," he chuckled. He expected you to laugh too, but he made a grimace when he saw how miserable you looked. "Aw, come here." he said, pulling you into a hug. "Look, everyone's done embarrassin' shit when they're drunk. It's just part of life. It ain't the end of the world."

You sniffed. "Even you?"

Yondu rolled his eyes and begrudgingly answered. "Ya brat. Even me." He could tell you wanted to ask, but he moved the conversation along, moving to hold you out at arm's length. "Better?"

You sheepishly nod and say, "I guess..."

"Good. Ya can be off then."

You looked at him in confusion. "You mean I'm not in trouble?"

Yondu laughed. "Well, from the look on your face, I thought the humiliation was punishment enough, but since ya asked I guess I can assign ya extra kitchen duties this week. Ya can fill in tonight through Thursday for Gef."

You grimaced but accepted your fate. "Yes, sir," you say before turning to leave his quarters.

Yondu chuckled and shook his head after you closed the door behind you, flipping off some of the unnecessary lights. There may be some hiccups now and then, but his not-so-little girl wasn't turning out too bad.

And even though he knew you'd deny it sober, he was proud you called him dad.

But he'd be damned if he let you drink with Peter again.

[athena-athena]

Kraglin's New Pet

Summary:  The Ravagers are hired to abduct Peter, but they get a little more than they bargained for when they pick him up.

A/N: This idea came about after I saw this pic of Kraglin with a cat, and then the ensuing discussion with @animeaniseed  (I’m not going to post the actual pic here, because I’m not sure if the artist would want it on tumblr.  Click the link to see it, though - it’s super good.)  

Masterlist

Tagged:  @animeaniseed  @misfitgirlwrites

“Listen up!” Yondu yelled over the raucous Ravagers, who were too busy eating and talking to pay any attention to anything else.  When yelling didn’t work, he whistled.  Silence fell immediately.  

“Now that I got y’all’s attention,” he sneered, “we’ve been hired to pick up another kid fer Ego.”

A cheer went up from the group of Ravagers.  Ego paid handsomely, and even the lowest crew members ended up with a decent share of the profits from those runs.  

“This one’s on Terra, and I need a few of y’all to go along fer the pickup.  Kraglin, Tullk, Oblo, Narblik, and Taserface.  Y’all come on.  The rest of y’all try not to blow up my ship while I’m gone.”

He turned and left the mess hall, then headed toward his M-ship, the chosen Ravagers trailing behind.  

Yondu guided the M-ship to the coordinates Ego had given them, then turned on the tracker for the kid.  Now they just had to wait for him to exit the building.  

“Y’all know the plan, right?” he yelled to the Ravagers in the room behind him.

“Aye, Cap’n,” Tullk affirmed.  “Grab the kid and tie ‘im up soon as he’s beamed onto the ship.”

Yondu nodded to himself, then turned back to his console.  He saw the kid’s tracker start to move toward the building’s exit.  Show time.

“All right, boys, here we go!  Get ready!”

He no longer needed the tracker because he could now see the boy running from the building.  Luckily it was a foggy night, so the kid never noticed the ship approaching until it was too late.  Yondu pressed a button on his console to beam the boy up, then turned around so he could make sure the crew grabbed him without any problems.

The room lit up as the kid materialized on the ship.  Yondu nodded in satisfaction, and turned around to steer the ship back to the stars.  It was at that moment that he realized something was very wrong.  He could hear the boy screaming, which was to be expected, but the men were also screaming... and was that hissing?

He wasn’t too familiar with Terrans, but he was pretty sure they didn’t hiss… or growl.  He put the ship on autopilot, and strode to the back room, yelling, “What’s goin’ on in here?”

It was chaos.  He could see that Tullk had partially bound the kid, but he was now distracted by something in the corner of the room, and he was only loosely holding the kid by the arm.  Oblo and Narblik seemed to be frozen in shock, fear etched upon both their faces.  Taserface was standing on a chair. Kraglin was the only one not panicking.  

Kraglin pointed to the corner, and started, “It’s just a -”

At that exact moment, a solid black ball of fur streaked past Yondu’s legs.  

“What the hell is that?” he yelled, jumping back.  He could see the black creature’s green eyes glowing from underneath a desk, where it was now hiding.  

“I’ve heard ‘bout them things. It’s a cat,” answered Kraglin, walking over to stand next to Yondu.

“It’s a what?”

“A cat.  Terrans keep ‘em as pets.”

“As pets?” Yondu didn’t know why anyone would want to keep a growling, hissing ball of fur as a pet.  Terrans were obviously stranger than he thought.  “How’d it get on the ship?”

“Not real sure.  Musta ran past the kid when we beamed him up, and it got caught, too.”

The cat was still growling, and Yondu figured he knew the only way to take care of the problem.

“Get outta the way, Kraglin,” he ordered, as Kraglin had started to approach the cat.  Yondu whistled, and Kraglin turned around and shouted, “Wait! Cap’n, no!”

Yondu hesitated.  “What are ya talkin’ ‘bout?  We gotta get that thing off the ship.”

Kraglin looked faintly sick.  “Ya can’t kill it.  It’s just scared.  I read about ‘em, it ain’t dangerous.”

Yondu had his doubts about that, but he whistled again to holster his arrow.  “Well, what ya plannin’ on doin’ with it?”

“Dunno.  Reckon we need to calm it down.”

He approached the growling creature, which immediately arched its back and redoubled its hissing.

“Are ye crazy, man?” shouted Tullk.

Kraglin ignored him.  Yondu noticed Oblo and Narblik had inched their way into the cockpit, and Taserface was still standing on the chair.  Pathetic.  He glanced at the boy, who had stopped screaming and was now watching Kraglin and the cat intently.  

Kraglin knelt down a few feet from the cat, and said, “C’mon out, ‘lil fella.  We ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

To Yondu’s surprise, the cat slowly walked out from under the desk and approached Kraglin, who was holding his hand out.  He heard Oblo suck in a breath behind him.  

“That’s right,” coaxed Kraglin. “C’mon.”

The cat sniffed Kraglin’s outstretched hand, then rubbed its head along his arm.

“Look, I think it likes me!”

Yondu wasn’t sure that was something to be happy about.  

Kraglin stood up, and the cat started winding itself around his legs.  

Yondu resisted the urge to shudder. “Now ya caught it, what ya gonna do with it?  Might not be too late to throw it off the ship.”

Kraglin looked aghast, and the boy yelled, “You can’t throw it out!”

Kraglin said, “We could keep it.”

“Keep it?  Why?”  He couldn’t imagine trying to sleep knowing that thing was sneaking around the ship.  

“Ya know sometimes we get orloni and vermin on the ship.  I read Terrans use cats to kill rats an’ stuff.”

“Huh,” Yondu considered.  It was true that vermin would occasionally sneak onto the Eclector, no matter how hard he tried to prevent it.  “Okay, ye can keep it, but make sure it stays outta my way.”

“Aye, Cap’n, you won’t ever notice it, I promise.”

The other Ravagers were looking at Kraglin in awe, but Kraglin was too busy petting the cat to notice them.

“Tullk, get that boy tied up properly.  An’ you two, quit yer sniveling an’ get outta my cockpit.”  He walked into the cockpit, shoved Oblo and Narblik out, and slammed the door.  

He heard chaos break out in the room behind him again.  The boy had resumed his yelling, and he could hear varied shouts of “Keep that thing away from me!”  

He sighed and rubbed his face.  He might have to charge Ego double for this trip.  

[writing-by-athena]

Yondu Story

Originally posted on my main tumblr, @athena83

Yondu had picked up a lot of kids for Ego over the years.  He used to question how one man could have so many children, all over the galaxy, but he gave up wondering about it a long time ago.  As long as he got paid, he didn’t care how many children Ego had.  And he did get paid.  Ego was not stingy. Yondu had named an insanely high price, and Ego had not hesitated to agree to it.  Yondu had been expecting to haggle, which was why he had made his fee so high, but he was thrilled to be paid so much for such a seemingly easy job.  

Yondu’s job was to pick up the kid, deliver it safely to Ego, and get paid.  It was definitely easy money.  He did regret that Stakar had exiled him for it, but there was nothing he could do about that now.

“We don’t deal in kids,” Stakar had told him when he’d found out about Yondu’s deal with Ego.  

Yondu had tried to defend himself, to explain that Ego was their father, and it wasn’t like he was delivering them into slavery, but Stakar refused to listen.  

So Yondu had been exiled and was left with the worst of the Ravagers as his crew.  Most of the “good” ones had joined other crews after his exile.  He didn’t even try to fool himself into thinking the remaining members stayed out of loyalty – most of them just didn’t have anywhere else to go.  

“Cap’n,” said Tullk, one of the few crew members Yondu thought might actually be loyal to him.  “Ego’s on the holo-screen.”  

“I’ll take it in here,” Yondu replied.

“Yes, Cap’n.”  Tullk left, but Yondu hesitated before turning on his holo-screen.

He had been expecting Ego’s call, but he still wasn’t looking forward to seeing Ego’s face. He didn’t want Ego to see his plan written on his own face, but he also didn’t know if he could look Ego in the eye without telling him exactly what he thought of him.  

Sure this could be another easy payday, but that was before he had found out the ugly truth about Ego that still made him sick to think about – the truth he tried to hide from himself, but could never successfully keep buried for long.  

He should stay out of it; tell Ego he’s too busy to make the run.  But he was guilty of unwittingly sending countless kids to their deaths, and even though saving one wouldn’t change that fact, he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try to stop it from happening this time.  

Finally he turned on the holo-screen.

“Ego,” Yondu nodded a greeting to the holo-screen.  

“Yondu!  I’ve got another job for you!”

“Go on.”

“I’ve recently found out I have another child, and I want you to bring him to me so he can join his family.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s on Terra, in a place called Missouri.  His name is Peter Quill.”

“Same fee?”  It made him sick to even pretend to be interested in the money, but he couldn’t let Ego get suspicious.

“Of course.”

Yondu waited for a moment, then nodded, and said, “Done.”

“Excellent!  I knew I could count on you!  I’ll send the coordinates to your ship, and I expect I’ll see you soon.”

“I expect so.”

Ego disconnected the call, and Yondu picked up his communicator.  “Tullk.”

“Yes, Cap’n?” came Tullk’s immediate reply.  

“Ego is sending the coordinates for another pickup.  Set a course for Terra as soon as they come in.”  

“Yes, sir.”

____________________________________________________

Yondu was waiting impatiently for the boy to exit the building.  Ego’s directions had led him here, and Ego’s directions hadn’t been wrong yet, but he wasn’t sure why the boy would be in a hospital.  Was he sick?  Yondu didn’t care, as long as the boy wasn’t contagious.  

Suddenly, one of the doors of the hospital opened, and a boy stumbled out.  He ran a short distance, then fell to his knees.  Yondu recognized him from Ego’s description, and he wasted no time in getting the M-ship in position to pick the kid up.  He was alone at the moment, and Yondu knew he had to act fast.  It always complicated things when other people were around.  

“Kraglin!  Oblo!  Get ready to grab the boy!”

Yondu pressed a button on his control panel, and a bright light illuminated the boy.  The kid looked up, but was beamed to the M-ship before he could run.

As soon as he appeared on the M-ship, Kraglin grabbed him and pushed him into a chair, while Oblo quickly bound him to the chair with rope.

Walking into the room, Yondu ordered, “Kraglin, take over the controls – set a course back to the Eclector.”  

Kraglin clapped his fist to his chest in a Ravager salute, and replied, “Yes, Cap’n!”  He then hurried into the cockpit to return the M-ship to the Eclector.

The boy had seemed to be in shock upon first arriving on the M-ship, but shock had quickly turned into panic.  He struggled against his bonds while yelling, “Let me go!”

“Calm down, boy, ya ain’t goin’ nowhere, so ya might as well stop struggling,” said Yondu.

Catching sight of Yondu for the first time, the boy’s already pale face blanched even whiter.  

“You’re… you’re blue,” he panted.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” replied Yondu dryly.

“What’s going on?  Where are you taking me?” the boy demanded.

He wasn’t crying at the moment, but Yondu could tell he had been not too long before, possibly right before they picked him up.  Had something gone wrong at the hospital?

“I’m takin’ ya to my ship,” he answered.

“The ship?” interrupted Oblo.

“Yeah, the ship.  Keep yer mouth shut and yer eyes on the boy.”  He strode back to the cockpit, and said, “Get back there and help Oblo keep an eye on the boy.  Make sure he stays quiet.”  

“Yes, sir, Cap’n,” Kraglin replied before he hurried to the back.  

Yondu sat down, checked that the M-ship was still heading in the right direction, then rested his head in his hands.  He must have been crazy to even consider this. What was he supposed to do with a Terran boy on the ship?

He briefly considered taking the kid back to Terra, but it was only a matter of time before Ego found out and hired someone else to pick the boy up.  He sighed.  He didn’t have a choice, he’d just take the boy to the Eclector for now, and then decide what to do with him later.

He could still hear the kid in the back room – yelling, demanding answers, but not crying or begging.  He couldn’t help but admire the kid’s spunk.  Most Terrans would be scared witless if they had been abducted by Ravagers from space.  Not that the kid wasn’t scared, but at least he was trying not to show it.  

The next jump point was coming up, so Yondu aimed the M-ship towards it as he continued to try to come up with a plan.  Only two jumps to go – they’d reach the Eclector in a matter of minutes – and he didn’t have a clue how he was going to explain the presence of a small Terran boy to the crew, especially when they knew that the boy was supposed to be going to Ego.  The crew wouldn’t question him – he was the Captain, after all – but he still didn’t want them to start muttering about him behind his back.  All it would take was one well-placed word about him being weak, and then he was sure to have a mutiny on his hands.  

As he headed through the last jump point, a small plan started forming in his head.  It wasn’t the best plan, but he was out of time, and it would have to do. There was no time left for working out the details, so he would just have to play it by ear.  

___________________________________________________

Yondu docked the M-ship on the Eclector, took a deep breath, then walked to the back room where Kraglin, Oblo, and the boy were waiting.  

“Bring the boy,” he commanded Kraglin, as he headed for the back of the ship to return to the Eclector.

“But, Cap’n, ain’t we takin’ the kid to E-” started Oblo.

“I said ‘bring the boy’, I didn’t ask for yer questions,” snarled Yondu, without breaking stride.  “Come on!”  

Kraglin quickly tied the boy’s hands behind his back, then removed the bonds securing him to the chair.

“C’mon now.  No funny business,” he told the boy.

The kid had started struggling again, but Yondu wasn’t worried about him escaping now.  He couldn’t go too far.  They’d find him eventually.

Yondu opened his wrist communicator.  “Tullk!  Have everyone meet in the mess hall – now!”

“Yes, sir!”

A few seconds later, they heard Tullk’s scratchy voice over the ship’s intercom: “All crew members to the mess hall immediately!  Cap’n’s orders!  I repeat, all crew members report to the mess hall.”

When they reached the entrance to the mess hall, Yondu stopped and turned to face the others.  “Keep the boy out here ‘til I tell y’all to come in.”

The kid was still struggling to break free of Kraglin’s grip.  Yondu glanced at him before turning back to the entrance.

“You can’t keep me here!” the boy yelled.

Yondu ignored him, and proceeded inside the mess hall.  He still wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to say, but he hadn’t made it this far in life without learning how to handle a group of Ravagers.

At the sight of their Captain, the rowdy group of Ravagers broke out into an incoherent cacophony of cheers and shouting, a few giving him the Ravager salute.

He lifted his hand to quieten the men, though, truthfully, it was impossible to ever achieve complete silence with this group.  

“I got some news.  We’re takin’ on a new crew member,” he announced to the group.  This was met with a slight rumble of muttering – an extra crew member meant less money for the rest.  Yondu continued, “I picked him up on Terra – a kid – and he’ll be a good asset for us.  He’s small, can fit into places we can’t – good for thievin’.”

This seemed to satisfy most of the crew, but Taserface yelled out, “A kid?  This ain’t the same kid you was supposed to be takin’ to Ego, is it?”  

Yondu whistled; his arrow flew up and hovered by his head.

“And so what if it is?  Ya got a problem with that?”

“If we ain’t deliverin’ the brat to Ego, we ain’t gettin’ paid,” griped Taserface, though he was eyeing the arrow warily.

“We ain’t, not today, but I reckon this is an investment for future earnings – the Treasury of Xandar, for example.”

At these words, the noise in the room got considerably louder as the men started talking at once.

“Are ya sayin’ we’re gonna break into the Treasury?” asked Narblik.  

“Don’t see why we can’t try it, now that we got ourselves a tiny Ravager,” replied Yondu.

There were loud whoops and excited cheers, and Yondu knew he had them now.  He wasn’t sure how they’d manage the Treasury heist, even with a small Ravager, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.  

“Kraglin!  Bring the boy in here!”

Kraglin and Oblo escorted the boy in, each holding one of his arms.  Clearly he had doubled his efforts to escape.  When they reached Yondu, he grabbed the boy’s arm and turned him to face the men.

“Say hello to your new crewmate, boys!” he yelled, with a crooked grin.  “His name’s -”  What had Ego said his name was?  Paul?  Peter?  Peter – that was it.  “Peter Quail.”

“It’s Quill,” scowled Peter.

“Whatever, kid, welcome to the Ravagers,” he replied with a smirk.

He turned to Kraglin, and said, “Keep an eye on him, show him the ropes.  And if anyone lays a hand on him, they answer to me.”

Without another word, he strode out of the room.  He heard Peter yelling behind him, “Hey! Wait!  I’m not joining your stupid Ravagers!  Get back here and let me go!”  

Yondu kept walking.

____________________________________________________________

As Yondu headed back to the Captain’s quarters, he couldn’t help but think back to the day, eight months earlier, when it had all gone wrong.

Eight Months Earlier:

It had started like any other day.  Yondu had gotten up, dressed, and headed to the mess hall for breakfast.  There had only been a few members of the crew around – most were still asleep, and the others were on duty keeping the ship running.  He grabbed some food and sat down at a rickety metal table.

“Mornin’,” he said to the table in general.  

“Mornin’, Cap’n,” came the mumbled reply from the few Ravagers at the table.  They sat without talking while they ate – Ravagers were not morning people.

Yondu was thinking about everything he needed to do that day when his thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of his wrist communicator.  He glanced at the screen and saw Tullk’s name flashing.

“What is it, Tullk?”

“We got a problem with the fuel tanks, Cap’n.  They’re leakin’ and we’re losin’ fuel fast.”

“Well, fix ‘em.  That’s why I got a maintenance crew, ain’t it?”

“We’re tryin’, Cap’n, but Vorker thinks it would be safer if we landed somewhere.  He, er – said it would be better to land now instead of waitin’ to be blasted out of the sky.”  

Sighing, Yondu said, “Fine. I’ll go see about findin’ us a safe place to land.”

“Aye, Cap’n, I’ll let Vorker know.”

Abandoning his breakfast, Yondu headed toward the cockpit.  “I swear, it’s always somethin’,” he muttered to himself, as he walked down the empty hallway.  

When he walked into the cockpit, he was met by a Ravager salute, and a grim, “Mornin’ Cap’n Yondu,” from Oblo.  “Tullk said we were makin’ an emergency landin’?”

“Seems like it.  Where are we close to?”

“Well, we’re about 75 jumps from the closest planet with a shop to buy parts...” he hesitated.

They both knew jumps were risky with a fuel leak – multiple jumps were tempting fate – but 75?  That was a suicide run.

“What’s the closest planet?  Don’t worry ‘bout whether they might have parts.”

“Ego.”

“How far is it?”

“Five jumps, Cap’n.”

“We’ll go there.”

He sat down in the Captain’s chair and took over control of the ship.  He didn’t trust anyone but himself to make these jumps with a faulty fuel tank.

He entered the coordinates for Ego, then aimed the Eclector towards the direction of the first jump. He held his breath as he steered the ship through the first jump point.  He heard Oblo breathe a sigh of relief as they safely emerged.

Yondu turned to him with a smirk, and said, “You ain’t worried, are ya?”

Oblo let out a shaky laugh. “I’d by lyin’ if I said I ain’t a little worried.”

“Well, ya ain’t got nothin’ to worry about with yer Captain flyin’ the ship.”

He may have acted cocky on the outside, but he couldn’t lie to himself – he was worried.

He entered the second jump point, and tried to focus on holding the ship steady.  They exited safely – two down, three to go.  He didn’t mention it to Oblo, but he could feel the ship losing momentum.  He entered and exited the third jump point without incident.

As he directed the ship through the fourth jump, the ship gave a slight lurch.  He spared a glance at Oblo, and noticed he was holding onto the chair arms so tightly that his knuckles were white against the dark material of the chair.  

He returned his attention to the fifth and final jump point, as the ship gave another shuddering lurch.  He took a steadying breath, then aimed the ship toward the entrance.  He could hear Oblo murmuring under his breath beside him, but couldn’t make out the words.  

Although it usually only took a few seconds to go through a jump point, this one seemed to take several lifetimes.  After what felt like an eternity, they left the jump point behind, and he let out an audible sigh of relief.  

Oblo, pale and wide-eyed, turned to Yondu, and in a slightly shaky voice, joked, “Not worried, were ya?”

“’Course not.  Nothin’ to it,” he grinned.  “There’s Ego, straight ahead.”  

The Eclector entered Ego’s atmosphere, and Yondu carefully landed the ship.  He didn’t see anyone around, but that wasn’t unusual – Ego always made him land away from the main buildings – basically out in the middle of a desert.  Yondu had never cared because Ego met him at the ship each time anyway, but he was afraid this time he would have to cross that desert.  He thought he should let Ego know they were there – they might be Ravagers, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any manners at all.  He sighed, stood up, and said, “Tell Vorker to get to work on the fuel tanks.  I expect some progress by the time I get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yondu walked out of the cockpit and headed towards the ship’s exit.  Pressing a button on the panel by the door, he lowered the ramp, and walked out into the reddish glare of Ego.

He wasn’t sure where exactly he’d find Ego, but he figured someone would be able to point him in the right direction.  

“I reckon it’ll be the biggest and ugliest building on the planet,” he muttered to himself.

He continued to enjoy the peace and solitude as he walked toward the city.  Quiet and alone time were things he never got on a Ravager ship, so he tried to savor each moment.  

After about fifteen minutes of walking, he was nearing the city, but still couldn’t hear anything. He thought he should have been able to hear the slight buzzing of a busy marketplace, or the shrill laughter of children – he had delivered enough of them that he knew there had to be some around somewhere.  

The closer he got, the warier he became.  Something was definitely not right.  It was still eerily silent, and this close to the gate, he should have heard something. There should have been guards posted, at the very least.  He didn’t think Ego was stupid enough to leave everything unguarded.

He slowly walked through the gate and looked around.  The buildings were just as gaudy and ugly as he figured they would be, but there was no sign of a single person. He walked on, looking for someone, anyone, but after searching in vain for several minutes, he gave up.  Had something happened?  An attack?  It didn’t look like there was damage anywhere.  As a matter of fact, the place looked pristine, like it had never been touched at all.

And now that he thought about it, there were no houses, no places for people to live.  Just huge palaces and ugly sculptures.

Deciding to head back to the ship and forget about finding Ego, he turned around and heard a distinct crunching noise.  Looking down, he raised his foot and saw that he had stepped on a skull – a human skull.

“What the - ?”

He looked ahead and saw another bone, and what looked like yet another skull a little farther ahead.

Feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the breeze, he looked around while trying to make up his mind.  The smart thing to do would be to head back to the ship and forget it.  He had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but even though he knew he would likely regret it, his curiosity got the better of him.  

He grumbled to himself as he walked out of a side gate and followed the trail of bones.  Away from the empty city, the green grass gave way to red dirt again, and the dust swirled around him as he walked.  

He glanced at the Eclector, which he could still see in the distance, but he kept following the scattered bones.  The thought that he kept trying to push back – the thought that kept shoving its way to the front of his consciousness – was that these were small bones.  He didn’t want to think about what that might mean.  

He came upon an outcropping of jagged rocks and cautiously moved around them.  He saw a cave ahead, and he dreaded what he would find as he picked his way across the bones and miniature skulls.  He hesitated at the mouth of the cave, but continued inside.  It was dark, but not dark enough to hide the horrifying sight that met his eyes.  Mounds of skeletons were piled all around the cave, almost to the ceiling.  To Yondu’s horror, all of the skeletons were small – they could only be the skeletons of children.  

Feeling sick, Yondu staggered back to the mouth of the cave.  Leaning over with his hands on his knees, he tried to breathe normally.  He was clearly not the only one delivering kids to Ego – this was decades’ worth of bones – but he was part of it.  And if he had delivered even one kid to this fate, it was one too many.  Overwhelmed with sudden guilt, all he could think was, “I did this.  This is my fault.”  He hadn’t killed them, but he had brought them here, which he felt made him just as guilty as the one who actually killed them – Ego.  He had no doubt that it had been Ego.  He didn’t know why – not that it mattered – but he knew in his gut that Ego was responsible.  

Anger flared up amidst the guilt, and his fin glowed red.  Part of him wanted to go find Ego and put an arrow through his heart, but he knew the best thing to do was to leave immediately.  He didn’t think Ego knew they were there – he would have shown himself by now – so if Vorker managed to fix the ship soon, they could leave before Ego found out they were ever there.

He began to walk back to the ship.  He didn’t know if he could bring himself to tell the crew what he’d found.  Maybe his penance would be to carry the guilt alone for the rest of his wretched life.  

Tullk was waiting for him at the entrance when he got back to the ship.  

“Is it fixed?” Yondu scowled, walking into the ship without breaking stride.

If Tullk noticed the fury radiating off his Captain, he didn’t mention it.

“Not yet, Cap’n.  Vorker says he should be finished in about twenty minutes.”

“Tell him to hurry up.  As soon as he’s finished, get us off this planet.”

Yondu kept walking, but Tullk stopped to close the ship’s door.

“Where to next, Cap’n?” he called to Yondu’s retreating form.

“Contraxia.”

He knew the best way to distract the crew from his obvious torment was to give them permission to let off some steam away from the ship.  Drinking himself into oblivion at the Iron Lotus sounded like a good idea, but he couldn’t bear the thought of being around anyone else right now, so he knew he’d be drinking himself into a stupor in his own quarters tonight.  

Once he was alone in his quarters, he fell to his knees and held his head in his hands.  

All of it was for nothing – his exile was for nothing.  Stakar had been right – he hadn’t deserved to be a Ravager.  Sure, Ravagers weren’t exactly the best people, but they had a code, and Yondu had broken it.  He hadn’t really done it for the money, but no one would believe that, and he would never admit it anyway.

Growing up as a Kree battle slave, Yondu had obviously had a terrible childhood, and he had thought he was giving Ego’s children a better life.  Reuniting those kids with a seemingly loving father had seemed like a noble thing to do at the time, no matter what Stakar said.  But now?  Now he knew better and it was killing him.  What he had done was no different than what his own parents had done to him.  

He yelled in rage, an incoherent scream filled with anger and despair.  After a moment, he pulled himself to his feet and made his way to the cabinet where he kept his private store of liquor.  He grabbed the first two bottles he saw, sank to the floor, and tried to drink his pain away.  

__________________________________________________

Pulling himself out of this terrible memory as he reached the door to his quarters, he walked inside, crossed to his bed, and sat down.  Rubbing his face, he wondered how he’d gotten himself into this mess.  Bringing a Terran kid onto a Ravager ship?  What was he thinking?  Sighing, he fell back on the bed and decided he’d worry about it tomorrow.  How much trouble could one Terran kid be, anyway?  If the boy annoyed him too much, he’d just drop him off somewhere and let him fend for himself.  With that thought, Yondu yawned and eventually drifted off to sleep.  

[pendragonfics]

The Odd Jobber

Paring: Yondu Udonta/Reader

Tags: female reader, set after Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and before Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 (2017), cleaning, fluff, angst, suggestive themes, no smut!!.

Summary: Reader is caught in Yondu Udonta's room, wearing only her underclothes and his Ravager jacket. How she got there is a whole other story.

Word Count: 2,262

Current Date: 2018-01-27

You were just a pilot, and yet, you never flew anymore. You’d only joined the Ravagers when you had been rescued from your failing ship on Xandar. It had been the day that the Ravagers and the Nova Corps teamed up to defeat the Kree radical, Ronan the Accuser, which, unlike any day, was something that would forever be fresh in your memory. Maybe it was because that was the same day that when you had been dug out from the wreckage of your ship, you saw him for the first time.

He said his name was Yondu, and ever since, you were smitten. Him and his crooked teeth, kind eyes and cussing like a sailor, and not trying to hide it. When he took you on board his crew’s main ship, you told yourself it was temporary, and yet, two lunar months later, you were still on board.

You would offer repeatedly to be a part of the functionality of his crew, and even though you had a lifetime of certified open space flight training, Yondu would refuse your offer as kindly as he could. So, you did what anyone else would do. And that would be to find another place on board his ship that had an opening for work. There were enough people who knew weaponry, and enough people who operated the computers, enough cooks, cleaners, medical experts. Kraglin was already First Mate, and there was not an opening for that, or Second Mate, either.

You became the Odd Jobber.

It began with you tidying up after the Ravagers, putting things back where they belonged, filing in numbers of things that needed to be stocked at the next planet, cleaning out the messes of things crammed into the broom closets. And, you sometimes played a homemade guitar (made from a crate and mechanical wire) at meal times. By the end of the month, it was your official title, and you did your best to live up to it.

“Can you fix my socks? There’s holes in them.” One Ravager asked, on Monday.

“I need an extra hand carrying these supplies in! __________, can you help?” Another asked on Thursday, after docking planet side.

“Where’s my blaster?” Kraglin asked on Saturday, before a battle.

You passed it to him. “It sounded a little blocked last time you fired it,” you told him, proud of your work. “I think I fixed the problem with the extra kick in it now.”

But, it was the Wednesday after that which proved to be…eventful. It wasn’t like everyday wasn’t eventful, being a Ravager was enough to always have something happening. But – Wednesday was one which would forever stay marked in your memory. It began the usual way – a hot cup of kaf, a bowl of something mushy. Then, you were approached by Tullk, and Oblo, who handed you a bucket of soapy water, and a mop.

“If y’wouldn’t mind,” Tullk said, sparing a small smile, “there’s a mess tha’ needs cleanin’.”

Oblo nodded, voice low, “It’s in the hallway in front o’ Captain Udonta’s room.”

You didn’t need to be told twice. Having once witnessed Captain Yondu’s face upon seeing one of the famed messes across the ship, you made way to the location that Oblo sent you to clean up. True to their word, there was a small mess – a charred outline of someone upon the floor, some blood upon the walls of the ship. Gritting your teeth at the barbarity of it, you got to work.

But before you could get half the blood from the wall, you heard a clamour, and luckily for you, you moved out the way in time. Running through the halls was an unfamiliar face, followed by a woman with green skin, a raccoon holding a twig, and a burly man with markings over his exposed skin.

As soon as you heard them, they were there, and then, they were gone. But in their flurry, they kicked the bucket for your mop, soaking you all over your skin and bones, and managed to smear dirt over your area.

“Just my luck,” you muttered.

Glancing down, you saw your Ravager uniform was completely drenched, dripping water upon the still-messy floor. Your quarters were across the other half of the ship, and if you walked back to them for a change of clothes, you’d leave a messy trail, and eventually must clean that too. So, sucking up what’s left of your sopping pride, you use the spare key for Captain Udonta’s room – given to you in confidence and only for emergencies – and hope to the stars that there’s nobody inside.

Lucky for you, it’s empty.

You make way to his private bathroom, and shedding the clothes, you take a quick shower, and lay out your uniform over the lavatory and shower rail after you’re thoroughly cleaned. Stepping out into Captain Udonta’s room in only a towel, you realise two things:

His room is a mess. There’s battle gear everywhere, hanging from the light fixtures, all over the floor. The sheets upon the bed are chaos, mud is tracked everywhere in the floor, and the window is so dirty you can hardly see outside into space.

And it’s laundry day. All his dirty uniforms – and the rest of the crew’s – are currently being laundered, because that’s what you’ve worked on since sun up before being approached by Oblo and Tullk.

You shake your head, marvelling at the irony of the whole day. Like you of all people got so unlucky that this streak of events managed to align to create this terrible day. You manage to dry your undergarments with the vent in the bathroom and plucking from an abandoned corner where not too much mess is, find Captain Udonta’s captain’s jacket. But, losing the lucky streak, you find that there are no pants to be found in the whole bedroom, leaving you wearing just the jacket, and panties.

You thought about what the crew would say if they saw you in these clothes, and blanching at the prospect of being found, and the shame that would follow, you’re mortified at the idea. So, temporarily forgetting about the mess left outside the door, you begin to do the one thing you can do as the Odd Jobber, and that is make yourself useful. While you’re trapped in the bedroom, you begin to tidy up; pluck all the battle clothes down from its strange places and begin to polish and store it. You take the vacuum abandoned in the closet and suck up all the mud, dirt, and terrible things upon the floor. You strip the bed of sheets, wincing at the scent. They haven’t been changed since you were last in here, a lunar month ago.

“…an’ if you ain’t mindin’ your own business, tha’s why these things happen, boy,” you hear a familiar voice, the voice of the Captain himself. Your heart goes into a bout of beats, and mind racing you realise that you hadn’t thought about the consequences of being found looking like you are, inside the Captain’s quarters. You rush around, trying to figure out what to do, and end up tripping over your own feet. The door to the bedroom opens, revealing Yondu, and beside him, the unfamiliar man who ran by you earlier, covering you in the mopping water. “what in the stars…”

You look up to the familiar red-brown eyes. They look over you, the room, and once more to you.

“Wow, Yondu, you cleaned up for me?” the stranger says, clapping the Captain of the Ravagers on the back, “I’m touched.”

But he shakes his head. “__________, what’re you doing on my floor?” He asks, giving you a hand up to get back upon your feet. “C’mon, I’m not angry, jus’ curious.”

Back on two feet, you feel conscious of yourself. Showing so much skin in front of your captain, and this unknown man. A blush heats your face as you begin to string words together, “I – I was cleaning outside your room, Tullk and Oblo sent me.” you stammer, trying to keep your eyes away from their gaze. “and then he and some other people spilt my bucket and covered me in filth, and – I came in to clean myself up –,”

“Wait, you’s tellin’ me that Peter here wrong’d you?” Yondu asked, placing a hand upon your shoulder. “Don’t worry about protectin’ this one, he’s a shit at the best of times.”

You nod.

Peter puts both hands raised in surrender. “The Guardians and I were just coming through the hallway,” he protests, “We didn’t mean to terrorise anyone!”

Yondu shakes his head, turning to the other man. “Peter, you an’ your strays can clean th’ mess outside,” he looks to you, eyes trailing from your legs up, and then taking a breath, points Peter out of the room to start the task set. “Now, __________ –,”

---

Two Lunar Months previous

Yondu Udonta was a man of his word. He promised to fight alongside Peter, alongside the Xandarian pilots with Nova Corps, and that promise did not end when his ship failed and was grounded. He fought the Kree radicals with all his strength, all his spite. He had once been a toy to these people when he was younger, a terrible piece of his past that he hated so, so much. He felled every Kree with all he had, for all that he could have been if his worthless parents hadn’t sold him off to become a battle slave. He’d just killed the most recent batch of soldiers when a falling ship caught his eye – it was Xandarian, small. And landing nearby to where his ship had plummeted to.

But as he watched, no parachute was deployed in the seconds before it hit the soil. He wasn’t a good man, not by some standards, but when he saw the impact of the Nova Corp ship, he ran toward it. Using his arrow, he managed to remove the visor of the small ship and pulled the pilot from the soon-to-combust plane.

As he got the pilot and himself to a distance safe enough from the plane, he stopped to see who he had saved. Was it the asshole corpsman who sassed Quill’s every move? The rude one? But when he removed the helmet of the corpsman before him, Yondu’s breath caught.

She was gorgeous. A little beat up from the crash, unconscious from impact. Her hair was (h/l), and the colour (h/c), the same as his favourite hue of the stardust in the skies when he travelled them. There was a scratch upon her collarbone, weeping slightly. Fresh. It must have happened in the impact. Yondu reached for his water-skin, and tipping it over his fingers, wiped the blood from her skin. Droplets flew from his fingers, landing upon her lips, nose, forehead.

Her eyes blinked awake, a deep breath taken.

“Where am I?” she said, startled, wincing as she went to move. “What happened? Who are you?”

He explained all he saw what happened, and then, his name. “I’m Yondu Udonta, of the Yondu Ravager Clan. I’m an ally t’Nova Prime…for t’day, anyways.”

She nodded. “I’m __________, I’m a pilot. Or, was.” She says, regarding her ship which is aflame before them both, with an air of melancholy.

“You don’t have to go back to bein’ a Corpsman if y’ain’t wantin’ to,” Yondu said quickly, too quick to realise what his words meant. He barely knew the girl, what her past was, what her future would be, what she wanted that to be. The life of a Ravager wasn’t for everyone, especially not for people which caught his heart like this. “I mean –,”

She nodded. “You saved me,” she whispered, moving to sit up with a wince, “I at least owe it to you to accompany you upon your ship.” She says, looking at her fingernails. “I was never cut out to be a corpsman, anyway.”

---

“You checked me out,” you tell Yondu, as soon as Peter’s not in the room.

He shakes his head. “When?” He says, and quickly, denying, adds, “No, I never.”

You raise your eyebrows, placing your hands upon your hips. “Just before – twice! When you came into the room, with that guy, and then when you sent him out!” you say, outraged he’s denying it. You swore that when you woke up on Xandar, saved by the most handsome Centaurian you ever did see, that you wouldn’t let him get out of your sight. Your heart had been taken at first sight by him, and that was that. Now he’s denying he looked at you like that – it’s outrageous! “Come on, Captain, can’t you tell the Odd Jobber the truth?”

He rolls his eyes. “That name is ridiculous,” he sighs, and running a hand over his small fin, admits, “I like you, __________. I was’n sure you’d like an old man like me…”

Your eyes are wide. “I was so shy, I didn’t know what to do or say to tell you I admired you!” you cry out.

From outside the door, you hear Peter call out, perhaps through the keyhole, “Another day saved by the Guardians of The Galaxy!”

“Shut it, Pete!” Yondu retorts. His eyes turn to you, and once again, trace your body. “How ‘bout we make use of this occasion…” he motions to the bed before both of you.

“Oh, Captain Udonta,” You laugh, beginning to strip Yondu’s jacket from your skin. “I was thinking the same thing.”

[peregrineroad]

Self indulgent fixit fic.

Yondu dreams of snow.

He’s going somewhere – somewhere – but even if he could remember the specifics of where that somewhere is, it’s impossible to navigate in all this fucking snow. He can’t see a damn thing, not one inch in front of his face; can’t even really feel his body anymore except as an indivisible haze of pain. He just has to keep moving. All his bits may have dropped off already, no way to know; he don’t remember what exactly he came out here to do, but he’s gotta move....Seems that staying alive is the thing, and he’s always been good at that.

It’s so damn cold. He can feel it inside him. Feels like there’s too much in there for the dimensions of one old Centaurian, even a Captain. Cold enough to fill a planet, or a galaxy, or a universe. A life from one end to the other. Maybe he’s always been cold.

How long’s he been here? He thinks he can hear Peter’s voice sometimes, a little way away, and he turns and tries to follow it. It is Peter’s voice. He couldn’t ever mistake it. But it’s wrong - not cocky and obstreperous and light same as the rest of him tries to be, but heartbroken; pleading. Yondu wants to know who did that. Boy might not be his to care for anymore, now he’s flown the mothership and acquired himself a nice little band of misfits to run with, but his wrongs are still Yondu’s to avenge. He can do that much still.

“Wake up, you old bastard, so I can yell at you properly.”

He keeps moving.

Peter pleated the edge of the blanket between his fingers, staring at Yondu’s grey face. Watching for the faint fluttering under the eyelids which Rocket said he’d imagined. When he touched the fingers of his father’s hand, delicately, like he could do damage, they were still terribly, fatally cold.

“If you die, I’ll never forgive you,” he said. That wasn’t right either. Maybe if he kept throwing the wrong words towards Yondu’s frozen distance, he’d only have the right ones left when the old man finally came to.

“Wake up, you asshole, you bastard, you crusty old smurf...you think you can keep me waiting my whole damn life and then go out on a scene like that? Without even sticking it out for five minutes, you big chicken? That you can dad and dash on me? That’s really...that’s bullshit and you know it. I’m gonna sit here and wait, and you’re gonna have to wake up eventually, and then....”

He folded his arms over his stomach as it lurched, huddling down.

“Then I’ll tell you...emotions, and stuff. All that sentiment you don’t want. You’re gonna hate it, I promise. And...why couldn’t you have told me any of this before, you complete dick? Yeah, I said it. One hundred percent a dick. You heard me. Why’d you let me go on thinkin’ I didn’t really have you, when you were there the whole time? Listen, old man.”

He poked Yondu in the chest. “You owe me and you know it. So wake up.”

 He’s hellish tired. It still smells of snow, but the white-out has darkened at the edges, and the cold is sharing shifts with a feverish heat, and he can’t hear Peter no more. He thinks he might be really lost. Feels like he’s rolling his weight up a slope, and all he wants is to be done. Go back down into the darkness, maybe. Except that Peter for sure isn’t down there in the dark, nor Kraglin neither, or the newest, fuzziest boy, or the Twig. Them ones he thinks he might be expected to live for, though he can’t recall how he got to thinking it.

Tullk and Oblo and those others, now, they might be down there. Never got the rites. Why didn’t he see that they got the rites? He can’t fuckin’ remember, but he’s sure there’s no good excuse for it. He was their Captain; he was s’posed to take care of them. The only one, now, who would.

The heat’s coming on. He can feel the dry shaking of it, though it hasn’t helped him compartmentalise out his body from the pain any more than the cold had.

...Stakar won’t be down there. He feels it in his gut, a strobe of hotcold terror, almost familiar, never softened. He has known for over twenty years that he and Stakar won’t meet among the stars after he’s done, and it awakes a young man’s horror in him still. None of them...none of them will be there. He doesn’t want the death he has coming.

Smells of snow and blood.

“I’m real sorry, Captain. Ain’t got no excuse, I just...I’m sorry.”

But he’s hellish tired.

Peter rubbed sleep out of his eyes, and caught the despondent look on Kraglin’s face before the lanky a-hole turned to go.

He yawned as loudly and obnoxiously as possible, then said, “Hey, Kraglin,” in a cheerful voice, as though he didn’t recognise a retreat when he saw it.

“Pete,” Kraglin said, guarded, not turning around.

“Was wondering when you were gonna show up and do your share of sleep-spectating,” Peter said. “It’s exciting. I think his finger twitched two hours ago.”

He swallowed the sourness of that and resumed the attack. “It’s freaking me out how he’s not snoring. It’s not me, right, he used to do that?”

“I guess, sure,” Kraglin mumbled.

“Come on, Kraglin, you don’t have to be loyal about every damn thing, he used to sound like a Yaxia chainsaw duel, there’s no way that changed after I left-”

“Shut up, Peter.” Kraglin was directing a glare over his shoulder with the kind of venom only Peter ever seemed to get out of him, but he was still aiming it at the floor, not Peter’s eyes.

Peter huffed. “Sorry, am I keeping you from something important? Like skulking?”

“I ain’t been skulking. And I ain’t.”

“What’s the second one for?”

The glare twitched upwards for just a moment. “Loyal about every little thing. Yeah, Captain snored somewhat. Y’ happy now?”

“...Not until he wakes up and calls you a liar,” Peter said, looking back at the still figure on the medical cot. Kraglin’s hands clenched.

“Yeah,” he said, and started to walk off again.

“Kraglin.”

“What.”

“I was the one who dyed your hair green before the Luxarian Princess job. Oh yeah, and I told all the recruits that you got that scar on your leg from tripping over Mesmaduke Front rather than saving my life from those bandits. One time I snuck Spukeino Spiders into your booze, and you threw up for two days straight. Remember that?”

Kraglin finally turned around and looked at him, somewhere between angry and bewildered. “What?”

“I really envied you when we were kids, you know that?” Peter looked down at his knees. “He gave you respect, let you be responsible for stuff, called you ‘Kraglin’ rather than ‘boy’ all the time.... Never said sorry, but...I’m sorry.”

After a long moment, Kraglin came back to the bed. After an even longer moment, he sat down.

“We gave each other a whole lot of shit, huh?” he said.

“Yeah, I guess we did.”

“...I guess I’m sorry too.”

“He’s gonna wake up, Kraglin.”

“Maybe. Lot of others won’t, though. ‘Coz of me and my mouth.”

“Not just you. Other mouths are implicated, all right?” Peter threw his arm over his brother’s shoulder. “He’s gonna want you here when he comes around. I know that even if you don’t.”

Too hot. He struggles to breathe. Feels like someone parked a merchant ship on his chest. But the voices are back, and he can push towards them rather than slide back into the nightmares which always prey on him when he sleeps too long.

“Anyway, Blue, how long you gonna laze about up here when there’s work to do? Quill’s even more useless than usual right now, and it’s spreading to the others. You do know he’s drooling on you, right? I know how you’re big on sentiment and not much for hygiene, but I’m telling you, it’s disgusting both ways.”  

Yondu’s lip twitches. Very convincing, Rat, he wants to say, but he can’t get the air.

“Not that I want you breathing down my neck about how to be a person or anything, but there’s still some shit we could talk about. Like the cleaning rota, and how much worse it is on your mouldering rust heap here. Seriously, Blue, this whole set-up is gross. Oh, Groot says hi.”

Hi,Twig, he whispers.

In the slave pens, he used to have regular dreams of his parents. Still gets them sometimes. The dreams are the only memories he has of them; fleeting, ephemeral, probably pure horseshit. They are always full of shouting, and hands the same colour as his yanking on him, twisting at his arms or slapping at his face. Objectively, nothing near as bad as the normal day-to-day activity of a slave battalion, or even Ravager business. He always wakes up from them shaking, and he doesn’t understand why.

He feels raw and shaky in the same way now, but he can’t wake up. He tries, and all that happens is he runs out of breath, and the dark fills with red flashes and the ghosts of punishing hands.

Groot crawled up Peter’s slumped body onto the bed, and from there sat himself down on Yondu’s pillow. Firmly, he grasped the unconscious Ravager’s ear and tugged. Rocket suppressed a snort.

“Sorry, Groot,” he said. “That ain’t gonna work. Quill and the string-bean here already talked at least one ear off, so...”

“I am Groot.”

“No, I didn’t.” Rocket did snort then. “And I’m not spilling my guts in front of all this audience, either. I just came up here to tell him about Stakar and his other buddies stopping by.”

“I am Groot?”

“I don’t know, Groot. Maybe. I ain’t letting them up here on their own, though, old friends or not. You hear that, old guy?” Rocket kicked at his shoulder. “Your gang’s up here, hanging around. Clogging up the spaceways. Wanna see ‘em?”

Yondu shifted on the bed, eyelids twitching.

“I am Groot!!”

There was sweat on the old man’s face, and the shadows under his eyes were deep and purple even though he’d done nothing but sleep for over a week. Rocket dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward, alarmed. Yondu’s arms were jerking abortively, struggling with something. His jaw was working.

“Hey, easy,” Rocket said, patting at Yondu’s arm. “Hey. It’s a dream, you probably have them all the time. No need to freak out. Yondu. Yondu!”

Peter stirred from the side of the bed quickly and then shot upright, looking about two foot taller and ungainly with his panic. Kraglin was a little slower to rise, his eyes going from his Captain’s face to the machines monitoring him.

“I am Groot,” declared Groot, standing on Yondu’s heaving chest and waving his vines in the air.

“Quit looking like that, Quill,” Rocket snapped. “He’s fine. He’s just having some kind of shitty nightmare. Yondu!”

The man gave one last jerk and went limp again. Peter bent over him, swearing softly under his breath.

“He’s still asleep,” he said at last.

“Typical,” said Rocket, and hid his shaking hands behind his back. 

Here’s the other reoccurring bad dream. He has many nightmares which shift and change like sand in a riverbed, but this one is always the same. He’s got Peter’s wrist clenched in one hand, drawing the boy along towards Ego. He can feel the boy’s tension pulling against him, and it makes something pull roughly inside his chest too, but he is, against his own will, inexorable.

“That’s your daddy, boy,” he says, and pushes Peter forward. Ego’s face creases into a welcoming smile. Peter goes, hesitant and then eager and then hurried, and crashes into Ego’s open arms. The Celestial looks at Yondu, still smiling, holding his son tightly. The golden light of his paradise glints off his teeth and transmutes his eyes to flat planes, blankly warm.

It’s snowing despite the heat. That’s the first change to this dream in decades. The snowflakes sparkle meltingly in the light.

“Thank you, Captain,” Ego says. “I’ve transferred your payment already.”

Peter looks back at Yondu, smiling, as though all is forgiven. Ice is collecting in his hair. Ego starts to carry him off, and as he goes Yondu feels his breath catch, feels his stomach drop as he suddenly knows that this will end badly; knows it’s more blood on his hands than he can endure; knows if he lets this happen then Peter will be simply gone and he won’t be able to get him back. He tries to follow after all, but the ground rises sharply under his feet. It’s wet and slick and icy. When he breaks into a run it splits open, exposing molten red and gold and the eerie blue of Ego’s power, and he can’t get through. They’re long out of sight by the time he hears Peter start screaming.

Fuck.

Not again.

He remembers dying. The tunnelling sight of Peter’s face. The aching in his lungs as they hung empty. The feeling of frost crawling over his skin, his tongue, his eyes...

He’d sure been supposed to die. Hadn’t expected anything else. There’d been a moment, when they’d all been fighting together, when some kind of future had opened up at the back of his head, but it hadn’t mattered in the end. Hadn’t been supposed to.

He’d gone to die for Peter. It was owed. But he is still here. And here isn’t any kind of definitive underworld, just dark and heat and snow. He knows he’s dreaming.

Maybe Peter is gone instead. Maybe they all are. Maybe he’s fucked it all up anyway, despite trying; despite giving the last he has. Maybe Stakar had been right and there really is nothing left.

“Come back, son.”

He turns towards that voice, as he always has, easy as following gravity.

 Stakar looked at the four sleeping attendants around the bed, then glanced back at the polite green woman who had let him in. She smiled at his incredulous look, and nodded.

“He has been recovering well,” she said. “He just hasn’t woken up.”

“I see,” said Stakar, and approached the bed. Yondu’s face was slack and discoloured with frostbite, and he looked too thin. Looked old. Wasn’t that a trip?

“Hey, kid,” he said anyway, because you’ve dragged a boy out of the howling darkness and felt him cling to you like you’re the first bright thing he’s ever seen, you remember him that way, time be damned. He leaned over and brushed his fingers against Yondu’s cheek. Too warm, and damp with sweat. He switched to rubbing gently at his shoulder. “Hey. Looks like you’ve got a crowd here waiting on you. Not a lively bunch, but a good one.”

He looked around again and smiled. The little cyborg boy who’d called him was only pretending to be asleep still, watching him carefully through slitted eyes.

“Maybe you should come back to ‘em, now, huh? You all probably have a lot to talk about.  I know we do. C’mon now. Come back, son.”

Of course it didn’t work like that. Yondu remained resolutely unconscious.

“Stubborn brat,” said Stakar, and sat cross legged on the floor to wait.

“All of you need to shower,” said Gamora firmly. “And sleep in your own beds. Especially you, Groot. Captain Ogord...the other Captain Ogord has been attempting to com you for six hours, and seems to be ready to board our ship to toss you out of it, so if you could please return her call we’d appreciate it.”

Stakar looked rueful. “I was supposed to talk to him first. Clear up the exile, and related matters...they all want to see him, but we thought everyone would be too much. Any room with Charlie in it feels full, see, and that goes double for Aleta.”

“I’m sure,” said Gamora, smiling slightly. “When Yondu awakens, we will let you know right away.”

“I smell fine,” said Peter, fresh from a round of exploratory sniffing. “I showered yesterday.”

“It was four days ago,” said Gamora. “You’re setting a bad example for Groot.”

“He doesn’t even sweat!”

“He does get dirty a lot,” Rocket said reasonably. “Look, he’s been spending all his time in here and he’s still got stuff on him. How’d you do it? Get over here, come on.” He licked a paw. Groot attempted to hide under Yondu’s pillow. “You ain’t fooling anyone.”

“I am Groot!”

“I can see you.”

“I am Groot!”

“Four days, really?” Peter said. “I did yesterday’s cooking shift...”

“Two days ago.”

“This morning there was maintenance...”

“Yesterday. You smell, Peter.”

“Like, a manly musk? I’m just saying, I think I -”

“Like a Yaxia dungheap.”

“I am Groot! I am Groot, I am Groot.”

“Who’s been teaching you these words?”

“That’s really hurtful, Gamora.”

“Green girl’s right,” Yondu rasped. “’Cept I’d say a Utani Dungheap ‘s next to a Yaxia food joint.”

After a startled moment, Gamora snapped her fingers. “That’s it exactly.”

“Hey,” Peter said feebly, staring at his father’s face. “You...wait, that’s the first thing you’ve got to say to me??”

“’s right,” Yondu said.

Peter groaned. “I like you so much better unconscious.”

“That why you all been hangin’ around?” His eyes moved from Peter to Kraglin to Rocket, who was absently polishing Groot still, and pretending not to be smiling. They stopped on Stakar, then dropped again.

“Welcome back, Yondu,” said Stakar.

“We were waiting for you to finally wake up so I can tell you you’re an idiot,” said Peter. “What kind of jackass goes into space with no suit, huh? What kind of jackass tries to die for someone rather than just say, ‘hey, son, your dad’s a maniac,’ as a heads up sometime in the twenty six years we’ve known each other?” His fist closed on Yondu’s shirt. “What kind of jackass, actually, does any of the shit you’ve done? And now we had to sit around an’ listen to you snore for weeks because of it.”

“Pete,” said Kraglin, taking hold of his shoulder.

Yondu stared up at them, perhaps noticing Kraglin’s shaking hands and the dampness in Peter’s eyes, Stakar’s intent look, Rocket’s relaxing shoulders.

“Damn it, boy,” he said at last. “I don’t snore.”

[ravagersred-blog]

@arkhevia

He spends twenty minutes just sitting in blue, which is currently docked snuggly in the Eclector. And that its. Twenty minutes of sitting in his ship. Kraglin knows he gets a few looks as parts of the crew pass the ship by on the walkway. But he doesn't care. Instead he's replaying what transpired the whole of yesterday, partily this morning. He smiles a couple of times to himself, grinning like an idiot when he takes out his personal tablet. Flipping to look at a picture of Kee he took, her fully aware of him and grinning, while the next picture of her unaware looking serious at some of her plants.

It's sentimental. Something he knows he shouldn't be, not with what he does, what they both do. What Ravagers are. But. . . That's okay. He thinks they get along just fine, he's always been a bit more feeling so to speak. Polite and patient for someone who was a space pirate. Kee however perhaps was the embodiment of being a space pirate. Everything about her was the opposite of him, something he noticed daily around her. Yet somehow they fell into place with each other, a miracle most likely.

Snapping out of his goofy behavior Kraglin comes back to reality when it's Tullk banging on the glass of his ship. He can't quite make out what's being said but he knows it has something to do with him sitting around. Gathering himself and a few items, he finally kills the engine and hops out. And as expected it was Tullk to speak first.

"You get lost inside there?" The other man eyes him but he's grinning. He already knows what Kraglin was doing.

Tullk is one of the few in the crew he has no problem 'gushing', for lack of a better word, around. "Just thinkin', that's all."

"Thinking about her."

It's nothing new, but still Kraglin always looks up earnestly, it's not as if he tries to hide he's been with her. He's gotten knocked around for wanting to do private jobs with her on his down time then actual members of the crew he's part of. But she's worth it. Kee has ended up being more then worth it. Still, "How?"

Tullk looks at Kraglin like he's an idiot, but he's not wrong for Kraglin didn't quite zip up his collar, or take care of not exposing his neck.

It's littered in hickeys on one side. The other just a few.

Kraglin is unaware and Tullk doesn't say anything. Instead the man claps him across the back and tells him he's wanted in front.

From there on out Kraglin is unaware of his hickey situation but is aware of every comment and look coming his way.

He heads to his quarters first to part with the few items he's brought back on board. Meeting Oblo, Halfnut, and Scrote at one point. Oblo just grins, Halfnut on the other hand shoves into him laughing asking 'how good was she?' Scrote likewise half body checks him and makes jerking motions. "No wonder you were sittin' in that ship so long." Their laughter echoes down the halls after that.

Kraglin can't imagine why this time he's getting such a big reaction. Sure most of the crew knows he sees someone outside of the ship, multiple times even. Only a few now who. Not that he won't tell anyone asking it's Kee. But otherwise he never felt he needed to shout who she was, but never was she a secret. Therefore most of the time after his jobs with her and him coming back home -- it was usually just a 'have fun?' and that was it. He even gets a whistle from Gef while Horuz has this sardonic look as he closes in onto the bridge.

"What?" It's not... Irritating him, but it's starting to make Kraglin paranoid. As it has been a while since he had to prove himself that he wasn't the type to take things lying down. He's more then proved his spot on this ship. Yet this shift, ever since he stepped out of Blue, he's gotten something sent his way. Whether it was a few words, looks, or even pushed around. It wasn't jealousy. Well, okay, maybe a few of the crew were jealous. Kee was hot. But she was more then that to him. She was a lot of things. Complicted. But she felt right to him, something he hoped she felt for him too. Yet on board everyone seemed to be in on a joke except him.

When Kraglin finally makes it to the bridge it's Yondu that gives him one hard look and opens his mouth, "Th' Hell is all over yer neck?"

"Huh?"

That has him quickly turning to the nearest monitor to get a good look at his reflection. Turning it off for it to go black so he can see himself. Which looks... Fine, he looks fine. But then the light hits his neck just right and he can see them. Bite marks. Hickeys that make him blush.

"That's a mighty purdy color ya turnin' Krags." One of the pilots say to him, another whistles. It's only a few of them on during this shift. Captain never kept this shift full as far as the front went when he was prowling. Didn't like how crowded it could get on the bridge all the time.

"Yeah, yeah." Turning the monitor back on Kraglin starts to zip his jacket up until Yondu knocks him in the elbows.

"What'sa matter, boy? They look good on you." Crooked but white teeth grin out at him. It's been a while since he's been called 'boy.' Or messed with by the Captain as if he was a teenager again. "She treats you good, don't she?"

The eye contact they make between each other is -- knowing? He can't think of the word, or really what passes between them. But it's an understanding that has Kraglin showing off his own fucked up teeth in a big smile. "Kee's somthin'" He knows not to get sappy so that'll have to do.

He ends up leaving his coat's collar open after that.

It earns him an, "awwww, ain't that cute?" From the Captain before a rough, "fun's over git t'doin' somethin' useful."

Which is fine with Kraglin. He needed the distraction of actual work instead of letting his mind wander. He'd have to message Kee about his half necklace, ask her next time to make it a full one.

[colormeyondublue]

Chapter 11: Clear The Air

Chapter 10 Here - Chapter 12 Here

Several days go by, and Yondu doesn’t see much of you. What happened with Trenvik really damaged what confidence you had aboard the Eclector. This really took it’s toll on you both mentally and physically. You feel violated. The event could have been worse, but that Chorak still took something away from you. Although you really can’t pin down what that something is, you just feel helpless and weak. Kraglin has been bringing you meals while you work from your cabin. He stops by three times a day, and a few times in between just to check up on you. The two of you have gotten pretty close over the past few days. There is a soft knocking on your door, and Kraglin pokes his head inside after punching in your key on the number pad.

“Hey, I gotcha some tea. I wasn’t sure if ya’d be hungry yet, but I thought at least somethin’ warm might be nice.” He approaches your desk and sets the cup down, steam gently rising from the top.

“Thanks, Kraglin. Tea does sound nice.” You don’t really move or say much else. The silence begins to get tense, and Kraglin taps his thumbs together.

“So…ya think ya might wanna take a walk with me today? We don’t have to go far, and the guys are all off ship, nobody is around – promise.”

“Off ship? Where are we?” You ask, rather surprised.

“Cap’n wanted to take the boys out for a little break. He brought us to our usual place, Contraxia. We usually do that after a big score. That client paid us real well for them jewels ��n stuff we took from Johpar. We’ll be sittin’ pretty fer a while.” He smiles.

“Contraxia?! Oh, god.” You roll your eyes and bring your palm to your forehead. You know a little about this planet, your boss used to talk about it when you were slow at the pawn shop. All you know is that there’s hookers, and drugs, and tons of booze.

“Ya know this place?” Kraglin asks with one eyebrow raised.

“I’ve never been here, but I know of it. My old boss used to talk about this planet. I’ve heard all I need to know.” You roll your eyes and play with the tag on the tea bag.

“Oh. Well, we don’t have ta leave the ship if ya don’t wanna. I just think it would be good fer ya ta get outta this room. You’ll go nuts in here!”

“Where’s Yondu?”

“I think he’s at a bar down there with Tullk, Oblo and some of the others.”

You sigh and sip your tea. You really don’t like the idea of Yondu being down there. Trust was something that the two of you hadn’t really had a ton of time to work on, but he did save your life the other day, so why wouldn’t you trust him to be faithful? I guess it’s good for morale. The Captain does need to be out with his men.

“How about this - I finish my tea and get dressed, and you can take me down to that disgusting excuse of a planet and show me around a little? But absolutely no brothels! Deal?”

“Deal! Go ahead and get ready and I’ll meet ya down at the docking bay in 20?”

You laugh lightly at his excitement and playfully nudge him. “Sounds good…” Just before he gets to the door you stop him. “Hey, Kraglin? Thank you…for making sure I was okay and checking up on me these past few days. What happened with Trenvik…it really did something to me, ya know?”

“Don’t mention it. Yer one of us. But more than that, ya make the Cap’n real happy. That makes me real happy. Cap and I go back a long ways, and ya mean a lot to us both y/n.” He smiles gently and nods, and disappears out your door.

You get dressed in a clean set of leathers and throw a coat over top with a black scarf. Unless anything has changed, you remember your boss talking about how it snows on Contraxia year-round. You find your mind wondering back to Kraglin again as you lace up your boots. Ya know, Kraglin is such a great guy. If he wasn’t so damn shy, he wouldn’t be single. Poor guy. You smirk at the thought.

~~~

You and Kraglin touch down on Contraxia and you both walk toward the bars and brothels in the snow. The streets are lit with loads of neon lights and signs. You notice there are a few restaurants and tattoo shops too.

“Hey, I think the Cap’n and the guys are at that bar over there.” Kraglin points to a larger metal building with a sign on the side that seems to be in a language you can’t read.

“Uh, Kraglin? Can we just…not go in there?”

“Why? Did ya wanna go somewhere else?” He asks, confused.

“Yeah, that would be great. I just don’t really want to see the Captain yet.”

“Are you two okay?”

“I think so, it’s just…something else happened before you guys went to Knowhere.” You rub your arms from the cold. “Is there somewhere else we can go to talk about it? Somewhere quiet?”

“Uhh, sure. There’s a little coffee place at the end of the road here.”

“Coffee?!”

Kraglin laughs loudly at your reaction. “Yeah, coffee. We do have some Terran things out here, ya know. We don’t have much, but coffee has definitely gained popularity over the years. There’s even some little farms that grow that stuff on Xandar. Just ‘cause ya ain’t seen other races on yer planet, don’t mean we haven’t stopped by ta look around."

“Woah…I had no idea. That’s really cool. A little unnerving, but cool. Remind me to ask you more about that later. I need coffee! Let’s go!” You grab Kraglin’s hand and hurry down the street toward the shop.

The two of you enter the coffee shop, and find a seat near the window. After your drinks arrive, you speak up after taking a few sips.

“Okay, so before you guys left the ship, I kinda said something to the Captain I maybe shouldn’t have...not yet at least.”

“What kinda’ somethin’”?

You hide your face behind your hands and sigh. “I might have accidentally told the Captain that I loved him, among other things. Truthfully, I do – ya know, love him. But he didn’t say much of anything back and I panicked.” You don’t hear a reply for a few seconds. You drop your hands to see what horrific expression Kraglin has on his face. To your surprise, there isn’t any expression, he is just nonchalantly drinking his coffee.

“He told me.”

“What?! He told you?!”

“Yeah, he told me. To be honest, I wasn’t all too surprised. You Terran’s have a thing about love. You’d be surprised how alike Terrans are to us Xandarian’s. We have a thing about love too. That’s something Quill and I always had in common. We understood each other, I guess that’s why we got along so damn well.” He finished with a smile.

“Okaaay, so what else did he say?”

“Look y/n, yer my friend, and I care about ya a lot. That’s why I think you ‘n the Cap’n should talk about it. I will say that he ain’t mad or put off, but he just ain’t used to it. The Cap’n hasn’t had the most fantastic life. Love ain't never really been apart of it neither. Just be patient with him is all.”

After a few minutes of silence pass, Kraglin speaks up again. “Maybe ya should talk to him tonight? Just clear the air and see where things go?”

A light laugh bubbles up to your lips and you look at him, not surprised. “Since when did you get so good at relationship advice?”

Kraglin just shrugs. “Honestly, couldn’t tell ya. Maybe I’m just level headed? Dunno.”

“You really shoudn’t be single, ya know that?” You tease.

“I had a girl a long time ago. But, bein’ a Ravager makes relationships hard. Unless another girl just falls from the stars onto our ship, I don’t see that being in the cards fer me.”

“Yeah, well, if things can turn around for Yondu, I’m sure they can for you too.”

~~~

Back at the bar, Yondu couldn’t really get into the celebration spirit. Your frightened expression from the other day in your office wouldn’t leave his mind. The men were beyond happy with their payday, and super drunk. Sex bots were everywhere, and it was all he could do to keep them off of him. He eventually decides to just leave. He gets up from his stool, and Tullk taps his arm.

“Hey, ya alright Cap’n?”

“Yeah, yeah ‘m fine. Just tired, gonna head out.”

“We’ll see ya later then?”

“Yeah, sure.” He replies as he’s walking out the door.

Yondu heads back to the Warbird so he can call Quill. He’s got to know what to do. Quill is Terran, and he’s…younger. Maybe he’ll have some kind of advice on how to handle this.

He sits down and taps a few buttons on the console. The screen beeps for a few moments and then an image pops up. He sees a large grayish green looking man with bright red tattoos.

“Oh, Hello Yondu. Are you looking for Quill?” Before he can answer, Drax turns and yells behind himself. “QUILL! Your father is on the communicator! He needs to speak with you!”

Yondu leans his face onto his fist and rolls his eyes. These “Guardians” are really somethin’…

From the distance, Yondu can hear Peter yell back, “My Father? What the heck are you talkin’ about Drax?” Peter comes into view and see’s Yondu’s unamused expression on screen. “Oh, hey ol’ man, what’s up?”

“I got somethin’ I need ta talk with ya about, but it seems like yer a little busy.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I was just helpin’ Rocket with some plans for a new blaster that launches explosives! We just left Xandar, we were picking up some supplies. What did you need?” Quill asks.

“This ain’t an easy thing ta talk about…do ya think ya could go to another room er somethin’? I don’t need everybody hearin’ all about it.”

Peter’s expression turns a mixture of concerned and awkward. “Uhh…yeah sure. Is everything okay?” he moves Yondu’s transmission onto a handheld communicator and heads to the back of the ship. He enters his quarters and closes the door. “Okay, shoot.”

Yondu takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly to try and calm his nerves. “Long story short, Krags and I hired a new Terran girl to help with record keeping, transmission logs and mission details and stuff. We’ve gotten close over that time and now, well…she’s ma girl.”

“Woah! Yondu! She’s really Terran?! That’s so awesome man! I always knew you had it in you. What’s her name?”

“Her name’s y/n, and she’s really somethin’. I never met anyone like her. She’s really special ta me, but there’s somethin’ else I need to ask ya.”

“Okay…”

“The other day we made a stop out at Knowhere to sell some stuff, and she said somethin’ ta me. We both kinda panicked, but I think it might’a been my fault. See, she told me she loved me, but she said it so casually and it came out so natural soundin’. I didn’t expect it at all, and I didn’t exactly say anything back. She freaked out and ran off. Now, I don’t know what ta do! Is that normal fer Terrans?”

“Wow, okay. That’s a lot to unpack. So, let me ask you this. Do you love her?”

“Well, see that’s the other thing I need to ask ya. I don’t exactly know what that is. Boy, I ain’t Terran, and I ain’t no good with this love stuff. I figured, with ya bein’ Terran ‘n all, you might know what it means ta love someone and maybe ya’d know if that’s what y/n and I have.” Yondu’s expression turns sheepish, and he rubs the back of his neck as he waits for Peter’s answer.

“Oh, that’s easy! Love is something that happens between two people, and it’s a feeling that is super strong. You feel like you can do anything – unstoppable almost. Some people say it makes you feel like you’re floating, like you could almost fly. There’re loads of movies about love I remember from being a kid. The point is, you’d do anything to see them smile, you want to always make sure they’re happy and cared for. Gamora is in a similar boat with you, but we work on it.” Peter’s smile grows at the mention of Gamora.

“Well shit…” Yondu stares at something on his control council. “Okay, so yeah…I think that about pins it down.”

“So, you love her?” Peter asks.

“Heh, yeah boy, I guess I do.”

“Alright, well there you go! Look man, love is supposed to be easy. That’s not to say that you won’t have any disagreements or the occasional fight. That’s normal, but let go and just try to fall in.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. So, I guess all that’s left ta do is go tell her. Right?”

“Right.” Peter crosses his arms confidently and glances off screen. “Anything else you need? Rocket sounds like he’s getting pissed. I want to make sure he doesn’t blow something up or break anything.”

“Yeah boy, that’s it. But listen, thanks. I was at ma wits end over here.”

“No problem, Yondu. Now go tell her!” Peter laughs.

“Alright, alright. I’m goin’!” Yondu ends the call, and heads off the Warbird to find you.

Yondu starts to make his way back to the bars when he notices you and Kraglin walking to his smaller M-ship. The captain makes his way toward you in the snow, and you stop short.

Kraglin notices you stop. “Ey, it’s okay. You should talk to ‘em. I’ll see ya back on the Eclector?” He says as he reassuringly pats your shoulder.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Comm me if ya need anythin’.”

Kraglin walks past Yondu and nods, and he boards his small craft. You stuff your hands in your pockets and watch Yondu approach you.

“Hey, uh…” he starts. “I was wonderin’ if we could talk? Things have been a little off since the other day. Can I take ya back to the Warbird?”

“Yeah, I think that would be fine. We do need to talk.”

As the two of you walk to the Warbird, Yondu throws his arm over your shoulder to pull you closer. The warmth and weight of his arm makes your heart flutter. The feeling of security and safety brings a quiet smile to your face. Yondu glances at you from the corner of his eye and smiles too. It’s at this point he remembers what he is about to do. Anxiety strikes him in the chest and he can feel his heart begin to race. He swallows, and closes the door to the M-ship after you step inside with him.

You take a seat in the copilot chair and wait for him to speak first.

“Y/n, there’s somethin’ I been thinkin’ about and I really need to get it off ma chest. The other day, in yer office…well…” he looks down at the floor and begins to pace. “What I’m tryin’ ta say is – shit…this is harder than I thought it was gonna be.”

You get a bad nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach. Yondu can’t seem to find the right words and he’s pacing the ship even further. He’s going to break up with me, oh my god, he is about to break up with me. You can feel tears beginning to form, and he turns to face you. Your thoughts have apparently been written all over your face.

“Oh, no. No darlin’ it ain’t like that. I swear on all the stars, it ain’t nothin’ like that. Look, when ya told me ya loved me the other day, I didn’t know what ta do. No one has ever told me they loved me before. I wadn’t sure what love even meant, let alone how ta love somebody else. Love ain’t exactly somethin’ I’m used to. But now, I think I understand – at least a little.” He takes your hands and pulls you to your feet. With deep pull of breath, he finally gets the courage.

“I love ya too sweetheart. I do. No woman has ever made me so damn crazy before. Ya get inside ma head, make my hands all shaky, and when ya look at me ma heart races out of ma chest. I can’t even begin ta tell ya how outta the norm this is fer me. Heh.” His crooked smile shows how unsure he is. But you can tell that he means every word. You don’t have any words for him in return. His confession was more than you expected, so you pull him toward you for a tender kiss. He wraps you in his strong arms and returns your kiss happily. You both get so lost in each other that you almost forget to breathe. You break away from him and gingerly bite your lip.

“So…now what?” He asks.

“Well, now, we just keep doing what we’re doing. Build and grow, one day at a time. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how.” With a smirk, you head toward the dining area of the ship to get some water.

“Y/n, there’s somethin’ else I been thinkin’ about. What do ya say we make another stop? The crew will be well off for a while, and we have some downtime ahead. I have an idea I’ve been sittin’ on fer a while.”

“Sure, what’s your idea?”

He takes a seat next to you and taps on the table a few times. “I was wantin’ ta take ya back ta Terra fer a visit. Maybe we could find yer family. I know how much ya miss ‘em, and it would bring ‘em some closure. I can imagine they’d be thrilled ta know yer safe…and I wouldn’t mind meetin’ ‘em. If ya think it’d be alright?”

“Back to Earth!? Are you serious?! Yondu! Yes, yes! Oh my god, I can’t believe it!!” You jump into his arms and kiss him excitedly. “It’s been so long. I’d love to show you where I grew up and, well, my family might be a bit shocked – but they’ll get over it.”

“Alright, then. It’s a done deal. I’ll let the crew finish up their…merriment, and we’ll get headed that way.”

In the back of his mind, Yondu knows this is a huge risk. There is chance you’ll find your family, and you might want to stay. If he takes you back to your home, he could lose you forever. However, he understands now, that he’d do anything to make you happy. Even it that happiness takes you away from him.

[colormeyondublue]

Chapter 12: Cards With The Boys (NSFW)

Chapter 11 Here

After confessing his love for you, you decide it was about time to move in with the Captain. It didn’t take long to get your things together because you don’t have much. After getting settled in the Captain’s quarters, you felt your heart soar at how for you two have come.

Later, you sit at your desk in your office tying up some loose ends, day dreaming of Yondu, and of going back to Earth. There isn’t much work to be done, but the peacefulness of your office brings you a sense of normalcy that you dearly missed. While you made sure your data drives were totally backed up and in working order, your door opens quietly. You glance behind you to see Yondu’s handsome face. You turn back to your computer and tell him you’ll be done in just a second.

“Do ya really gotta be working right now? Ya work all the damn time. There ain’t even much that needs done right now anyway! The crew’s gonna be on leave fer a few weeks while we’re gone.”

“I work because I like to!” You protest. “Besides, I’m almost done. Hold your horses.”

“Ya still never explained ta me what a horse even is ya know.” Yondu huffs as he sits down on the couch in your office.

You sigh and shake your head. You never imagined you’d have to explain to an adult what a horse was, but here you are. You eject the data drive and throw it in the drawer of your desk. “A horse, is a large mammalian quadruped with both binocular and monocular vision. They can weigh anywhere between 800 to 1,800 – sometimes 2,000 pounds! They’ve been used by my people as a source of food, labor, transportation and companionship for thousands of years. They’ve helped Terrans in every aspect of life, and nothing that we’ve accomplished to this point could have been done without their help. They’ve fought in our wars, and carried entire countries on their backs at times. In modern times they are primarily pets, used to work livestock, or ridden in competition.”

The captain rubs his chin for a moment. “What’s a pound?”

You stare at him blankly for a good few moments before it dawns on you. You are going to have to explain a lot to Yondu when you get to Earth. There is so much that he still doesn’t know about.

“A pound is just a unit of measurement. It’s used in some countries to quantify how much something weighs. It’s directly related to Earth’s gravitational pull. You know as well as I do that something on Krylor wouldn’t weigh the same as it would on Xandar, right?

“Yeah, I know that. But pounds is just what ya’ll call it?” He asks.

“Well…in some places. In others they might measure weight a little differently. But that’s a whole other conversation for another time. How about I just show you a horse when we get to Earth?” You chuckle.

“Sounds like a plan ta me. But anyway, what I came down here for was ta ask ya if ya wanted to play cards with me and the boys?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s already getting kind of late, and I don’t know how to play.”

Yondu stands up from where he’s sitting and approaches you. He steps behind you and gently gathers your hair to one side of your neck. He bends down to place light, seductive kisses up and down your neck before murmuring in your ear, “Come on baby, I ain’t seen ya all day. It’ll just be a few hands, and I wanna show you off to my men for a while. Show ‘em what’s mine.” He continues to kiss you along the length of your neck, and he begins to pull your sleeve down your shoulder to taste a little bit more of your skin. You can’t stop your breaths from coming in deeper and slower. Yondu never fails to make you melt in his hands.

“Alright, alright. You talked me into it. But that mouth of yours just isn’t fair. You cheated and you know it!”

Yondu laughs and gives you a smug grin as he points to himself, “Uhh, Ravager? Not to mention, I’m a Ravager Captain. I see somethin’ I want, and I take it. Including you.” He tugs you closer by your waist and kisses you hard and heavy.

You pull away after a few moments and ask, “Okay, so do you want to get some or go play cards? I’m not sure that we have time for both.”

He growls in annoyance at your point. “Damn. Ya might be right. Let’s go.”

~~~

You both sit down at the poker table in the ship’s bar with Yondu, Kraglin, Oblo, Tullk, and Geff. These guys have honestly become your closest friends, and you were happy to have a drink with them and learn to play card games. You were learning a Xandarian game that is similar to Black Jack, except there’s more suits and the cards are octogons. It’s a little confusing at first, but you catch on pretty quick. A few hands in, Tullk asks you if you’re excited to see Terra again.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to see the trees and breathe in the air. I miss our sunsets and forests. I miss the songs the birds sing. I miss the smell of the rain. But I think I miss our blue skies even more.” You smile softly and glance over at Yondu. He smiles back and offers you a quick wink as he takes a swig of his beer. He pulls you closer to him with one firm tug on your seat, and throws his arm over the back of your chair.

“Sounds like a neat place to me!” Geff chimes in as he looks over his hand.

“Got any idea of what your plan might be? What are you gonna do first?” Oblo asks.

“Well…I guess I’ll try to find my mom first. I think she would still live in the same place. I can’t imagine she would move. It’s only been a few years. Then once I find her, I’ll get in touch with my sister. But when it comes to introducing them to Yondu – well, I think I’m gonna have to explain a few things first. Ease them into it. Ya know? I know a place where Yondu can lay low until everything is calmed down. Being kidnapped by an alien race and then shipped out all over the galaxy isn’t going to be easy to explain.” You rub your temple lightly. It didn’t occur to you just how much of a shock your return might be.

“So Tullk, have you ever thought about going back?” You ask, hoping it’s an innocent enough question.

“Nah, not me lass. There isn’t anythin’ left fer me on our planet. I’m happy here with the crew. Mah life back on Terra was a little rough. Got in with some men who were less than savory. Joined Yondu’s crew an’ never looked back.”

The rest of the game you listen to Kraglin and Oblo’s banter back and forth, and wonder to yourself what kind of people Tullk got involved with. You figure that some things are better left unsaid, and as long and he’s happy here, that’s enough for you. Once the game is over, Kraglin gets the cards together and everyone heads in for the night. As you’re walking toward the door, Yondu grabs your hand.

“Hey honey, me ‘n Krags are gonna go over a few things around the ship fer when you and I leave tomorrow. I’ll meet you back at ma quarters?”

“Sure thing, but don’t be too long.” You stand on your tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, and head toward the Captain’s quarters.

~~~

You’re playing your list of songs on your personal playlist while you pack for the trip. You find out that there are thousands of songs you hadn’t listened to yet. You had no idea at first, but these data devices Kraglin uses have seemingly endless storage. You were getting a little buzzed, having gotten into Yondu’s whiskey stash at his minibar. A little celebration was in order since you were going back to Earth with Yondu. You were dancing hazily to Fantasy by Mariah Carey. Yondu walks back toward his cabin door, hears some muffled song and smirks to himself. As quietly as possible, he opens the door to find you dancing drunkenly to the music. He enters the room and you don’t even notice his presence as you continue to dance and sing. He creeps into the room and sits down in his recliner, interested in just watching you.

As much of a goofy drunk as you are, he smiles to himself. You might just be the best thing that ever happened to me, girl.  

The song changes over to Love On The Brain by Rhianna. Although your playlist has a ton of different songs, music was something that always resonated with you, and you liked almost anything. With the lyrics of the song carrying you away, you feel large, warm hands on your hips as you sway to the music. Immediately knowing who is feeling you up, you lean into his body and he begins to sway with you. He brings his lips to your neck and kisses you slowly. His lips kiss and part from your neck over and over, and it makes your core ache as warmth spreads through your limbs. Letting go, you fall into him even more, surrendering yourself to him. His hands begin to wander over your body, feeling your hips and thighs. You let out a few breathy moans, and your knees grow weak. While still facing away from him, you bring up your arms and wrap them around his neck as he teases your ear with his tongue. He notices that his bottle of Krylorian Whiskey is almost half empty, and you are way past buzzed at this point.

Baby you got me like ah, woo, ah Don't you stop loving me (loving me) Don't quit loving me (loving me) Just start loving me (loving me)

Oh, and baby I'm fist fighting with fire Just to get close to you Can we burn something, babe? And I run for miles just to get a taste Must be love on the brain That's got me feeling this way (feeling this way) It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good And I can't get enough Must be love on the brain yeah And it keeps cursing my name (cursing my name) No matter what I do, I'm no good without you And I can't get enough Must be love on the brain

The beat carries you both to his bed and he continues his loving assault on your torso and neck. At this point, the room is spinning a little, and the next thing you see is a gorgeous blue chest, and your captains’ pants slowly being undone. You are more than frisky, and the second his pants come undone, you dive into him. He doesn’t have a chance to argue, as his cock is already making its way into your mouth. He groans in response, and finds a fistful of your hair. The alcohol in your veins gives you some kind of super power and your skills with his manhood are already blowing his mind. He peers down at you with his head tilted to the side, groaning at the sensation you’re giving him. All of that whiskey has made your gag reflex vanish, and you can take him deep into your throat. He watches intently as his cock disappears into your mouth and he moans loudly. You continue to blow him out of his mind for a while longer, polishing the head every now and again. You hear him speak up, “Baby girl, I’m gonna cum if ya don’t stop.”

You look up him momentarily, roll your eyes with pleasure and moan on his cock. You’ve got him exactly where you want him. In a few more minutes, he spits out a string of curses at the intensity of his orgasm. “Oh, fuckin’ hell – yes! Shit….mmmhmm.” He pushes his raging hard cock as deep into your mouth as you can stand, and cums down your throat. You slowly slide his cock out of your mouth, and sensually lick the tip clean.

“It’s even better than I expected.” You smirk up at him. His cum tastes wildly different than a human’s. It isn’t bitter at all. It’s still slightly salty, but it’s also a little sweet and nutty. The taste was completely unexpected, and you almost couldn’t believe it. You tease his sensitive cock with your tongue to make it jump. “Oh, fuck. Ya might be more than I can handle when you drink like that.” He huffs out a laugh and collapses on the bed. “Alright, yer turn sugar.”

“No, it’s okay. I just wanted to make you feel good. I want to show you how much you mean to me. I don’t need anything. This was more than enough for me.” You kiss him lovingly, and snuggle into his side.

“I love you y/n. Ya really are an amazin’ woman. A damn whiskey bandit, but amazin’.”

~~~

The next morning, Yondu is still in bed with you. He wakes you up slightly by wrapping his strong arms around you and he pulls you as close as he can. You never thought in a million years that Yondu would be a cuddler, but in the privacy of his cabin he usually turned into a huge teddy bear.

“Good morning, handsome.” You mumble.

“Mornin’, sugar. Guess what?” He asks.

“What?”

“Today’s the day.” He says as he gently rubs your legs.

You push up on your arms quickly and look around the room. Today’s the day?! Oh my gosh, today’s the day!” You jump out of bed and start to get undressed.

“Woah, wait a minute! Where you goin’? We’ve got all day, slow down girl. Come ‘ere.” He beckons you back to him before you can get your t-shirt and sweats all the way off. You smile and crawl back into bed with your captain. “I wanna spend a little more time with ma woman before we head out. It’s gonna be a long flight, and who knows how long we might hafta be apart while you get your family stuff sorted out.” He pulls you close, and you happily snuggle into his warm embrace. Yondu is the warmest, and most incredible big spoon ever. His warmth is amazing, his body is so firm and strong. His hands engulf your torso almost completely. Absentmindedly, you rub your hands along his arms as he holds you.

“I love you.” These are the only words you can come up with, and yet they barely capture your feelings for him.

“I love you too, honey.” He takes in a deep breath and sighs. Yondu is trying his best to keep his worries at bay. He’s going to take up as much time as he can with you, which is why he wants to be so cuddly. It’s almost as if he’s afraid that you could vanish from his embrace. Today was not going to be an easy one for him. The uncertainty is maddening.

[sevi007]

Okay, a bunch of random headcanons for Peter and the Ravagers (trying to) celebrate Christmas:

    The main reason why the Ravagers even try to go out of their way to set that whole Christmas-y thing up is because it got described to them as a feast. And feast means booze. A feast that also has the tradition of getting them the expensive stuff they wished for without having to steal it for themselves, but rather have others of the crew steal it for them, is a big plus, too.

(Reason number two, although nobody really admits it, is because Peter pestered them with it since he found a calendar in what was, like, late October. Kid kept telling them stories about Christmas since then, dropping hints or flat out pointing towards it in every single conversation since then, and while none of them would admit they want to see the boy’s face when he sees what they had come up with, they all can agree they hope Peter will get of their backs afterwards.)

    Some of the traditions get mixed up or lost or interpreted in a completely different way.

The Ravagers don’t really understand why they should sing songs they don’t understand, or why they should wrap presents in expensive and colorful paper when they can clearly just wrap a rag around it and be done with it. But they did get that there’s a tree involved and that it’s kinda important, so they think they can at least do that. The little problem - Peter neglected to mention what kind of tree, so they are left wondering. They scratch the idea of getting one giant tree – over twenty feet tall – and also don’t’ think Peter will be satisfied with a bush or something, so they go for a tree that’s around the height of a grown man.

(Peter, unexplainably for them, will burst out laughing when he understands that they got a leaf tree in it’s wintery, dead state, throwing colorful (mostly red) cloth and scarfs over it to decorate it, instead of a “real” Christmas tree. He doesn’t blame them, though, swallows his laughter even when they look fairly disappointed by his reaction to their trouble.)

    The one tradition that also seems of importance is the whole Santa Clause thing, they conclude while they prepare. Peter used to tell stories about that bearded old man with bright eyes and smiling, excitedly explaining how Santa would bring all children their presents – even though that roused many questions amongst the Ravagers. “Why would ‘e do that?” – “Yeah, why not keep it to ‘imself?” only a very few of them. Some of them declared Santa as downright stupid and not really Ravager-material, but Peter insisted it was “one of the really important things about Christmas!”

So, naturally, they decide that there’s gotta be a Santa on this Ravager-Christmas. Bearded, fat, with a hat and all that.

It takes about twenty minutes of arguing, one sly comment of Tullk, Oblo’s and Kraglin’s combined strength and some very good reflexes, but they finally manage to wrangle a very unhappy and murderous Horuz into a self-made Santa-costume consisting of some extra cleaned Ravager jackets decorated with some (almost) white fur, a self-made, a dangerously slanting self-made hat on top of it all.

“Ain’t ye lookin’ real pretty today Horuz!”

“’M gonna kill the whole lot of y’all one day.”  

“We’re gonna pay ye an extra drink, stop complainin’.”

    Yondu somehow managed to steer clear of most of the preparations, liking to pretend that absolutely nothing of this is happening. Can’t be that vile, heartless Ravagers prepare a feast for a kid, right, booze or not. (Part of him, a really tiny, quiet part that he likes to snuff out, points out that he also didn’t like the reminder of celebrating with family, when he, well, didn’t have that said family anymore.)

But even he can’t ignore when the crew starts dragging the tree down the hallways of the ship – stumbling over each other, knocking more than one thing down on the way – or the fact that Peter somehow always ends up in front of his cabin to ask what is going on, why everyone is avoiding the little Terran and not telling him anything. So Yondu locks a protesting Peter in his cabin and trudges off to catch one of the idjits responsible for this mess.

“Boys!”

“Capt’n?” Kraglin asks, all wide-eyed surprise even though he is currently sitting on Oblo’s shoulders, balancing up there while he tries to attach what looks like colorful scarfs and rags sewn together to the ceiling.

Yondu almost face-palms over their clear enthusiasm for all of this, but decides that even that is a waste of energy.

“One of ya jackasses can grab Quill n’ get ‘im off the ship before ‘e stumbles over y’all preparin’ that shit.”

The surprised and perplexed gazes he gets for that makes him wonder how the actual heck the men had even tried to keep it a secret from Peter up until now.

    When it’s finally time and they have prepared everything – quite well, they think, quite well – and they let Peter into the mess hall, most of them think it was all worth the trouble. Worth it since Peter is beaming brighter than any of the tiny lanterns Oblo had set up, since he’s laughing tears when he catches sight of Horuz dressed as Santa, worth it since the boy races multiple times around the (not quite right) Christmas tree and cheers over how amazing this all is.

If anyone asks them, though, it’s worth it mostly because there is plenty of booze flowing that night.

    Peter is more than happy with the spoils of that evening – fingerless gloves from Tullk, a tiny knife from Kraglin, a set of lock picking tools from Oblo (that the man will probably come to regret) – so happy, in fact, that he decides to be extra generous that evening.

(It’s not like he thought about the gift for over a month, and went through quite some trouble for it. All of that can be ignored. It’s just because he is having a great time.)  

So when Yondu grumbles and shoves at him when the boy clambers on the Captain’s chair and on the Centaurian’s lap from there, then Peter doesn’t even complain, just slips right back off, just his head poking out from under the arm rest carefully.

Yondu actually seems to hesitate over the child’s lack of resistance, hand half-hovering between shoving again and reaching for his half-empty bottle instead. Behind them, the party is still going, loud and rude and with drinks for days, but between boy and man, there is some sort of careful, fragile peace and quiet for once.

Finally, Yondu gives in. “What is it, Quill.”

Peter grins, getting the hint, and rustles around for a second before quickly pushing a lumpy, clumsily wrapped package onto the Ravager’s lap. “Merry fucking Christmas, old man.”

It’s too quick and Yondu too dumbfounded (drunk, he will later say) and Peter has dashed off to safety before Yondu can find his voice again to snarl at him, or worse, laugh and throw the present back at him.

It’s a good thing he couldn’t, Yondu decides when he unwraps the thing far more carefully than he wants to admit and finds a fine, expensive scarf in it (together with a note that makes him bare his teeth in a crooked grin because that boy got some nerve.) Would have been a waste to throw around something nice like this.

    (And if Peter finds a set of new, child-sized blasters next to his bunk when he wakes up late the next morning, his excited happy yelling waking a hungover crew much to their disgruntlement, then Yondu really doesn’t know anything about where those came from. Nope. Go ask Santa, Quill.)  

[sevi007]

Just had the funniest mental image of Yondu walking into Eclector’s kitchen in the dead of the night for a snack, and when he opens the cupboard, there’s little Peter (only recently having “joined” the crew) all crammed up in the small and dark space.

They stare at each other for a second before Peter, very helpfully, offers the container Yondu was looking for. “Here.”

“…”

“… Sorry, I ate some of it.”

“… Quill.”

“Um, yeah.”

“What the fuck are ya doin’ in there?!”

“I’m… hiding?”

There’s a muscle twitching under Yondu’s eye, and he looks very much ready to whistle, tired and sleepy and surprised or not. And while Peter hasn’t been here for that long now, he knows that he doesn’t want that to happen, so he rambles, words getting all jumbled up in his rush – “You said I should stay away from the crew ‘cause they want to eat me and I couldn’t sleep and was wandering around and then there were some of the others and I couldn’t get past them back to my room and I thought hiding ‘til morning is a good idea please don’t be angry Idon’twannageteaten…”

The last part is said all in one breath and Yondu wouldn’t be surprised if the boy would choke because of lack of air now. He whistle once, sharply, the sound startling enough that the child falls abruptly silent (with a little sound that reminded a bit of an eep and definitely shouldn’t be as funny to Yondu as it is)

“Git outta there.”

“Yessir!”

“An’ then yer gonna go back to yer room- don’t’cha give me that look, boy,” Yondu rips the container out of Peter’s slack grip, glaring at the child who’s abruptly gone pale. “I don’t wanna have ya wander ‘round mah ship without someone lookin’ out that ya don’t cause trouble. Ain’t nobody gonna eat ya without my say so, so git.”

There’s a flicker of stubbornness in Peter’s eyes, frown deepening – and it shouldn’t be there, he should just follow the order like good crew does, and Yondu just knows that the kid will be up in his face and talking back to him in just a few years if he doesn’t do something about that stubborn streak of his.

But now, the Terran is still easily convinced by another glare and slumps into himself, gaze lowering. “’kay.”

He drags his feet while walking towards the door, trying to peek over his shoulder oh-so-unsuspiciously back at Yondu who doesn’t even dignify it with a reaction, because he doesn’t care.

He really doesn’t. He really, really doesn’t care about the little Terran looking all miserable and anxious.

It’s not because he cares that he calls out, mouth already full with the snack he came here for originally. “Quill!”

Hopeful round eyes peek over to him.

“Next time yer pissin’ yer pants cuz ya can’t walk back to yer room, wake someone up who ain’t gonna eat ya fer it.”

Peter’s smile is small but bright, making Yondu wonder if Terran have some sort of luminescence to them because a simple expression has no business being that bright, mind you.

(He was talking about Tullk, or Oblo, or Kraglin when he said it. Heck, even Horuz would have been a good idea. Those who are as nice with the kid as you can expect from a bunch of battle hardened, law-breaking and roughened Ravagers. It’s less about getting the boy eaten – because that won’t happen, Peter just doesn’t know it- it’s more about the boy getting beaten up because he disturbed  someone’s much needed beauty sleep.

Yondu thinks he should have known that he got himself into trouble with that sentence when a few days later, there’s a shy knock on his door in the middle of the night, only audible to him because he hadn’t been asleep yet, and Peter stands in front of him when he opens the door, all red-from-tears-but-dried-eyes and fiddling hands and stiff shoulders that should make it look as if he’s braver than he really is.

Yondu thinks he should have known, so it's basically his own fault for not seeing it coming, and glares and grumbles something about this being an exception, and “ya don’t touch anythin’” while he steps aside and makes way for his charge.)

[sevi007]

I have this mental image of lil‘ Peter being so happy the first few times that he’s finally outside of the spaceship again - because travels can be long and as big as the Eclector is, it’s still confined space – that he doesn’t even mind when the weather is bad, he will just sprint around, dance and twirl and laugh over getting to breathe fresh air and move freely again.

Just – Peter dancing in the middle of the rain, arms outstretched as he twirls and catches rain drops with his open mouth and jumps into every puddle he can find. And it greatly confuses the Ravagers who are going after their business not too far away, but somehow, Yondu doesn’t whistle Peter back at his side nor does he tell someone to pick the child up, so they don’t dare to interrupt the unusual playtime.

Finally, Tullk dares to ask, “Uh, Capt’n, what’s Pete doin’ there, getting’ all wet?”

“Do I look like I know, Tullk?”

“Erm… well, sir, it’s yer Terran, after all.”

That gets a glare from red eyes, and Tullk considers ducking behind something, to at least get some distance between himself and the arrow. Not that it would help.

But Yondu doesn’t consider him any longer, instead bellows in Peter’s direction, “Quill! Two minutes before we go ‘head without ya!”

“Coming!”

 “Boy is havin’ way too much fun with water,” Oblo observes, highly confuses. “Mean, it’s all… wet.”

“’m tellin’ ye, something ain’t right in that terran head,” Horuz mumbles. “Actin’ like rain is funny.”

There is a loud whoop next to them as Peter chases past them towards Yondu who is waiting impatiently, and on the way the boy jumps into the biggest puddle with gusto, splashing most of them with a good deal of dirty water.

“Ye know,” Kraglin comments dryly, fighting to stay serious – he didn’t get hit. “I think that was funny.”

Horuz, wet to the bone, just glares at him and flips him off as Peter already runs ahead again, chattering something about how “cool” the rain is, and Yondu, let’s come here again sometime!

[sevi007]

Time for some more Ravager family headcanon, I guess!

So I really wonder if there was this one time – that one freaking time where afterwards everybody just agrees they will never, ever mention it again – where Yondu left Peter in someone else’s care and everything went down the drain and straight to hell.

 It was probably not too long after deciding to keep Peter, the boy still too young to be left alone on missions this important, but already experienced enough that Yondu decided he can’t always drag a pet-Terran with him.

(Ignoring Peter’s very indignant “First I’m food, then I’m a pet?!”)

So he just kind of drops Peter onto Kraglin and Tullk and goes after his own business while he tells them to make sure Peter doesn’t get himself killed or some shit.

So Kraglin and Tullk, surely not going to let that stop them from their usual business and get barked at by the Capt’n for not doing their job right, just drag Peter along on whatever they had planned. Much to the bemusement of Oblo and the annoyance of Horuz, who didn’t think they would have to take care of a child on top of it all.

And it doesn’t even go all that bad, apart from that one time when they bark at Peter for being too loud during a situation that requires stealth and the boy looks like he’s fighting back tears… and apart that one time where Peter falls instead of climbing down and hurts his ankle… and when they have to make a break for it because security found them and there are way more guards than they had expected…

… and there is that one time where they make it out successfully again, only to realize that it’s suspiciously quiet behind them, because, well, somehow, Peter isn’t there anymore.

Alright, perhaps it didn’t go all that well.

An argument breaks out over whether or not to go and get the Capt’n, go back immediately and get the Terran, or just – leave him there.

“Horuz!”

“What?!”

“Yea, well, when we leave ‘im here, then yer the one to explain it to Capt’n,” remarks Kraglin, immediately ending the discussion as Horuz groans and rubs a palm over his face.

“… Capt’n’s gunna kill us when ‘e hears we lost ‘im.”

“Ye bet’cha ass that ‘e does.”

“Aye, seems like a rescue mission is in order, boys,” Tullk shrugs, only half managing a crooked smile.

The rescue mission is far from something that really deserves the name. They don’t rescue, they steal, and that’s honestly just what they do with Peter this time – stealing him back from whoever was dumb enough to take away their Terran. It’s messy, it’s loud, and Tullk dryly comments that perhaps they “should not have that many shootings in one rescuin’, boys” just when he punches down a guard who tried to shoot Oblo from behind when the Krylorian was opening Peter’s cell.

Peter is trying his best to put on an angry expression, but he fails utterly with his wide glossy eyes and the pain flickering over his features whenever his swollen ankle is jostled.

“You came back,” he says when Oblo lifts him onto his back with a grunt, the tiny voice sounding far too surprised for it to feel good for any of them.

Somebody clears his throat uncomfortably and Horuz is suddenly studying the ground intently, and even Kraglin feels a pang of guilt for a moment before he manages a cracking, “Ain’t gonna leave one of us behind, Pete.”

The smile, weak and tired as it may be, is so much better than the surprised statement that they all breathe a lot more freely afterwards.

They try to get onto the Eclector unseen despite knowing better as to think they can fool Yondu Udonta. They just hope to patch Peter back up into a better state before having to look their Capt’n in the eyes again.

“We ain’t gunna lie to Capt’n,” Kraglin explains to Peter quietly as they walk towards the med bay. “Ain’t like ‘e won’t see that we all got roughed up.”

“Yea,” Oblo agrees. “But we will… leave out the part where we kinda forget ye for a second, Pete, ‘kay?”

“Okay.”

“We ain’t gunna do that ‘gain, so…”

“I know. It’s okay.”

“Great,” Tullk breathes out as they turn the corner and the med bay comes into sight. “It’s not like Capt’n needs to know ‘bout…”

“About what?”

They freeze in spot, going very, very still as they hear the familiar rasp in their back.

“Fuckin’ great, we’re fuckin’ dead,” mutters Horuz under his breathe, shoulders slumping.

“That ain’t the explanation I’m lookin’ fer, Horuz,” Yondu answers, voice sharp and eyes gleaming even in the shadow his standing hidden in. “But keep talkin’, we’re getting’ there. What do I need to know ‘bout?”

 “Errrr…” Oblo mutters, shifting – and that’s a mistake, because the movement draws Yondu’s attention, and once he sees Peter on the other’s back, the swollen ankle and the bruise on the boy’s  forehead, the fin starts glowing, too, and they all kind of say goodbye to their lives.

“It’s not as bad as…” Tullk doesn’t dare to continue and shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

“Capt’n…” Kraglin tries, but falls silent again as Yondu’s gaze flicks to him, hard as steel.

 “It’s my fault!”

Five gazes turn towards Peter in the same surprised confusion.

“It’s my fault,” Peter repeats, not as loud as before. “I fucked up during the mission, Yondu. They had to help me out and get me back here, and they didn’t want to tell you that I fucked up so you wouldn’t be angry at me. But, uh, now you kind of know already and…”

The boy trails off as Yondu just keeps looking at him, the Captain’s expression unreadable. For a moment, he seems insecure if he should continue or just shut up, but then Peter raises his chin and declares, “I will do better next time, tough.”

Kraglin is pretty sure he sees a smirk cross Tullk’s expression, and Oblo seems to stand a little straighter with the determined Terran on his back.

It’s not every day that a child stands up to a Ravager Captain, and it is something that demands respect.

The red glowing dancing over the walls flickers and then vanishes for good as Yondu turns, disappearing into the shadows he came from. Only his voice travels back to them as he walks away, “Get the damn brat patched up an’ make sure he ain’t getting’ any of today’s dinner. Will teach ‘im no to get in the way next time.”

“Ah… Yessir!”

(They don’t dare to exchange surprised glances, knowing that this is a way too easy punishment if Peter had really fucked up a job – scared that Yondu might see and overthink it, and fairly worried that Yondu might have known more than he let on, letting them get away so easily because of it.)

Peter is the first to move again as the sound of Yondu’s steps disappears, slumping over Oblo’s head with a “pheeeew” as if he’s held his breathe the whole time.

“… That,” Tullk starts, voice rough but amused, “Was pretty great, Pete-y.”

“Great ain’t coverin’ it,” Oblo insists, grin breaking out on his face as he bounces a giggling Peter on his shoulders. “Quick thinkin’ there, lil’ Quill.”

“Not half bad,” Kraglin agrees, reaching over to ruffle Peter’s hair despite the younger’s protests.

“Heeey, stop that, Kraglin!”

“What did ye do that for, Quill?” Horuz questions, eyebrows raised, not convinced of that display of generosity, apparently. “Thought a lil’ shit like ye would just put the blame on us.”

Peter pats his hair back down, bottom lip sticking out as he considers the grim man for a second. Then he huffs. “Because you guys told me that none of us gets left behind. So, there.”

 Silence follows after that bold explanation, and somehow, not even Horuz can’t quite meet the child’s eyes for what seems to be an eternity.

When Tullk finally, finally moves, reaching over to pat Peter’s head, it’s not with the usual gruffness, but much more gentle than a Ravager would normally be.

“Come on, lil’ Quill. Let’s get ye patched up already.”

And if the next time Yondu drops Peter on the men for safe-keeping (red eyes flaring in warning as he considers each of them as if to say An’ no more stunts like last time) then nobody comments when they don’t complain nearly as much as they did the first time. Neither does anybody mention that they are more careful this time around, making sure the child is right there with them at all times.

It’s taken as granted – just as granted as the fact that Peter may not have gotten any dinner, per se, that faithful day, but somehow was gifted with an array of snacks and scrapings they could get hold of.

It's just an unspoken thing, really.